WaPo staffer unsure paper can recover as Bezos-owned outlet sheds 250,000 subscribers over endorsement fiasco

The Washington Post is reportedly paying nan value pinch its wide readers aft nan Bezos-owned insubstantial announced it would not beryllium making an endorsement successful nan 2024 statesmanlike race, which has sent shockwaves successful its newsroom. 

NPR reported Tuesday that The Post has shed much than a whopping 250,000 subscribers since it revealed its editorial committee would not formally endorse Vice President Kamala Harris aft it had planned to do so. 

According to NPR, it marks astir a 10% nonaccomplishment of The Post's 2.5 cardinal paid subscribers. The cheapest subscription offering presently listed for nan Post is $40 per year, which would mean astatine a minimum nan insubstantial is losing $10 cardinal successful revenue.

WASHINGTON POST REPORTS LIBERALS ARE CANCELING SUBSCRIPTIONS OVER PAPER'S DECISION NOT TO ENDORSE VP HARRIS

NPR reported that The Post has shed much than 200,000 subscribers since it revealed it would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. (Karwai Tang/WireImage | Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

A seasoned Washington Post insider tells Fox News Digital that Monday's first NPR study noting nan monolithic driblet successful subscribers was "the talk of nan newsroom."

"People are outraged astatine specified a boneheaded decision," nan insider said. "Just recently, [Washington Post CEO and patient Will] Lewis’ squad was bragging astir stemming subscription losses and really we had 'green shoots' of a summation of 4,000 subscribers truthful acold this year. That’s been wiped retired successful a nanosecond." 

"It’s a steep spread to climb retired of, and it’s only going to get worse erstwhile nan predetermination is complete and much group cancel," nan root added.

When asked whether nan Post tin climb retired of nan spread aliases if nan harm is done, they replied "No idea. A batch of harm has been done."

A spokesperson for The Washington Post declined to comment. 

WASHINGTON POST UNION, STAFFERS REVOLT OVER DECISION NOT TO ENDORSE A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, BLAME BEZOS

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks astatine a rally successful Houston, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

A trio of Post reporters wrote Sunday that affirmative soul momentum astatine their spot of employment "came to a halt" connected Friday erstwhile Lewis declared nan "Democracy Dies successful Darkness" insubstantial would not endorse a statesmanlike candidate. In nan days since, an onslaught of readers posted connected social media astir canceling subscriptions successful protest, prompting Washington Post reporters to fret complete really galore subscribers would yet locomotion away. 

"A cancellation activity swept done societal networks. Instead of utilizing an soul analytics instrumentality to cheque postulation to their ain stories, immoderate Post journalists utilized it to floor plan nan soaring number of subscribers visiting nan customer relationship page that allows them to cancel their subscriptions," Post reporters Manuel Roig-Franzia, Herb Scribner and Laura Wagner wrote successful a piece headlined "For The Post, much outrage from readers who opportunity they’ve canceled." 

"On societal media, sharing screenshots of Post subscription cancellation confirmations became much than conscionable a thing," nan Post reporters continued. "It was a governmental connection chiefly coming from nan American left, enraged by reports successful The Post and elsewhere that nan newspaper’s editorial writers had drafted an endorsement of nan Democratic nominee." 

BEFORE NON-ENDORSEMENT DECISION, WASHINGTON POST CALLED TRUMP 'DREADFUL' AND 'WORST PRESIDENT OF MODERN TIMES'

Washington Post patient and CEO William Lewis (Elliott O'Donovan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Post besides noted that Lewis has "sought to tamp down speculation" that nan paper’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, made nan determination successful bid to thief erstwhile President Trump. However, The Post antecedently reported that Bezos was down nan move "according to 4 group who were briefed connected nan decision."

Lewis has claimed nan determination to extremity statesmanlike endorsements "was made wholly internally and neither run nor campaigner was fixed a heads up aliases consulted," and has told concerned staffers that "it is nan incorrect point for an independent newspaper to show readers really to ballot successful a statesmanlike election."

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The Post announced connected Friday that it would not beryllium offering an endorsement successful nan upcoming statesmanlike predetermination aliases immoderate early one, successful what patient Lewis said was a "returning to our roots." 

An endorsement of Harris was reportedly drafted and fresh to people earlier it was abruptly shelved. The paper, which has been reliably dispute to erstwhile President Trump for years, has endorsed a Democrat for president successful each predetermination since 1976, isolated from for erstwhile it skipped 1 successful 1988. 

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.