Washington Post union, staffers revolt over decision not to endorse a presidential candidate, blame Bezos

Washington Post staffers are revolting aft nan "Democracy Dies successful Darkness" insubstantial announced it wouldn’t endorse a campaigner successful nan 2024 statesmanlike election.

On Friday, Post patient and CEO William Lewis announced nan insubstantial would not beryllium making a statesmanlike endorsement this year, nor successful immoderate early statesmanlike election. "We are returning to our roots of not endorsing statesmanlike candidates," Lewis declared. 

Shortly after, nan Washington Post Guild released a scathing connection condemning nan decision. 

"We are profoundly concerned that The Washington Post – an American news institution successful nan nation’s superior – would make nan determination to nary longer endorse statesmanlike candidates, particularly a specified 11 days up of an immensely consequential election. The domiciled of an Editorial Board is to do conscionable this: to stock opinions connected nan news impacting our nine and civilization and endorse candidates to thief guideline readers," nan Guild said. 

THE WASHINGTON POST ANNOUNCES IT WON'T BE ENDORSING IN 2024 RACE OR 'IN ANY FUTURE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION'

Critics are taking purpose astatine The Washington Post proprietor Jeff Bezos aft nan insubstantial announced it would not beryllium making an endorsement successful nan 2024 statesmanlike race. ((Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

"The connection from our main executive, Will Lewis – not from nan Editorial Board itself – makes america concerned that guidance interfered pinch nan activity retired of members successful Editorial," nan Guild continued. "According to our ain reporters and Guild members, an endorsement for Harris was already drafted, and nan determination not to people was made by The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos."

The Guild added: "We are already seeing cancelations from erstwhile loyal readers. This determination undercuts nan useful of our members astatine a clip erstwhile we should beryllium building our readers’ trust, not losing it."

The Guild put up a station pinch a nexus encouraging action, saying, "Are you a Washington Post scholar concerned pinch today’s determination for nan Editorial Board to not endorse a campaigner this predetermination cycle? Send a missive to CEO and Publisher Will Lewis and Editorial Page Editor David Shipley."

Post editor astatine ample Robert Kagan resigned because of nan decision, and erstwhile executive editor Martin "Marty" Baron denounced it arsenic "cowardice."

"This is cowardice, pinch populist arsenic its casualty. @realdonaldtrump will spot this arsenic an invitation to further intimidate proprietor @jeffbezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness astatine an institution famed for courage," Baron wrote connected X.

Washington Post columnist and subordinate editor Karen Tumulty reposted Baron's message. 

Post ambiance alteration newsman Brianna Sacks besides retweeted Baron and wrote successful guidance to nan news of nan decision, "We won a Pulitzer for nationalist work for our sum of nan Jan. 6 insurrection."

A erstwhile high-level Washington Post worker besides sided pinch Baron's sentiment, calling retired nan "feckless" decision.

"It very disingenuously draws falls equivalencies," they told Fox News Digital. "This is not, for example, Kamala Harris vs. Mitt Romney. This is Kamala Harris against personification who tried to disenfranchise nan electorate past time."

"And if you're going to determine that it's not nan domiciled of an editorial committee to endorse, past don't endorse. Don't endorse for Senate. Don't endorse for House. Just don't endorse," they continued. 

The ex-staffer has been proceeding from distressed erstwhile colleagues, saying they are "shocked" and "deeply disappointed," and said existent staffers deliberation nan mentation that was fixed is simply a "fig leaf."

"I'm proceeding that they are being perfectly flooded pinch subscription cancelations," nan root said. 

They told Fox News Digital, "I person ne'er been honestly ashamed of The Post until today. ‘The first ngo of a newspaper is to show nan truth arsenic astir arsenic nan truth tin beryllium ascertained.’ That's from Eugene Meyer's Principles of The Post. Today's determination is an abject abdication of those principles." 

Washington Post patient and CEO William Lewis said of his determination to not endorse, "Our occupation arsenic nan newspaper of nan superior metropolis of nan astir important state successful nan world is to beryllium independent.And that is what we are and will be." (Elliott O'Donovan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The erstwhile Post worker warned of nan "chilling effect" this could person connected nan newsroom arsenic a result.

"You cognize this is an editorial issue. There really was a church/state divide. But I do cognize that location are group successful editorial who person roots successful nan newsroom and truthful it stings," they said. "And I deliberation group successful nan newsroom are reasoning ‘if they killed an endorsement, tin a news communicative beryllium acold behind.’ And Lewis has surely expressed willingness to astatine slightest effort that. If Trump wins, who successful their correct mind would want you to screen that management for The Post, looking complete your enarthrosis each nan clip to spot if nan patient aliases proprietor is going to to beryllium miffed. There's a chilling effect connected nan ngo of nan spot that this move sends." 

Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah took to X to scold her employer. 

"Today has been an absolute stab successful nan back. What an reproach to those of america who person virtually put our careers and lives connected nan line, to telephone retired threats to quality authorities and democracy," Attiah wrote. 

In its ain sum of nan news successful nan Style section, The Post reported, "The determination has roiled galore connected nan editorial staff, which operates independently from The Post’s news staff, a long-standing contented of American publicity designed to abstracted sentiment penning from day-to-day news coverage."

Health attraction newsman Fenit Nirappil tweeted of nan report, "Our news broadside continues to study fearlessly. Even erstwhile it’s astir our ain bosses."

He included images of 2 peculiar quotes:

"An endorsement of Harris had been drafted by Post editorial page staffers but had yet to beryllium published, according to 2 sources briefed connected nan series of events who said connected nan information of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The determination not to people was made by The Post’s proprietor — Amazon laminitis Jeff Bezos — according to nan aforesaid sources."

"This is cowardice, a infinitesimal of acheronian that will time off populist arsenic a casualty. Donald Trump will observe this arsenic an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and different media owners)," erstwhile Post executive editor Martin Baron, who led nan insubstantial while Trump was president, said successful a matter connection to The Post. "History will people a disturbing section of spinelessness astatine an institution famed for courage."

Former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron torched his erstwhile insubstantial complete nan determination of withholding its endorsement, penning "This is cowardice, pinch populist arsenic its casualty." (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

A root adjacent to Washington Post activity claimed to Fox News Digital that Bezos was not progressive successful nan decision. However, a abstracted root said pinch Fox News Digital and believes otherwise, citing The Post's ain reporting claiming nan billionaire straight intervened.  

"A non-endorsement would person made consciousness if it had been announced earlier nan nominees were known. But doing it 11 days earlier nan predetermination suggests Bezos is worried he’d suffer authorities contracts if Trump wins. So it signals intimidation works," a existent Post staffer told Fox News Digital. "Trump surely caused problem for Bezos successful his presidency by sidesplitting a large unreality computing statement and messing pinch nan Amazon postal contract. So he knows really costly a 2nd word mightiness beryllium if Trump were huffy astatine our coverage."

The staffer besides said Baron is "regarded arsenic a hero" for his  X post, adding "he framed nan stakes conscionable right."

As acold nan Post's existent leader, Lewis, nan root said he has "lost nan newsroom."

"I wouldn’t spot a connection Will Lewis aliases immoderate of his group say," nan staffer told Fox News Digital. "He mislaid nan newsroom complete nan summer. He ne'er shows his look anymore. We get play rah-rah emails. That’s it. He utilized to rotation nan newsroom but apparently knows he’s not welcome."

A Post spokesperson declined to remark further but reiterated it was a "Washington Post decision."

11 Post sentiment columnists wrote a connection calling nan determination a "terrible mistake." 

"The Washington Post’s determination not to make an endorsement successful nan statesmanlike run is simply a unspeakable mistake. It represents an abandonment of nan basal editorial convictions of nan newspaper that we love, and for which we person worked a mixed 275 years. This is simply a infinitesimal for nan institution to beryllium making clear its committedness to antiauthoritarian values, nan norm of rule and world alliances, and nan threat that Donald Trump poses to them — nan precise points The Post made successful endorsing Trump’s opponents successful 2016 and 2020," they said.

"There is nary contradiction betwixt The Post’s important domiciled arsenic an independent newspaper and its believe of making governmental endorsements, some arsenic a matter of guidance to readers and arsenic a connection of halfway beliefs. That has ne'er been much existent than successful nan existent campaign. An independent newspaper mightiness someday take to backmost distant from making statesmanlike endorsements. But this isn’t nan correct moment, erstwhile 1 campaigner is advocating positions that straight frighten state of nan property and nan values of nan Constitution."

It was signed by Perry Bacon Jr., E.J. Dionne Jr., Lee Hockstader, David Ignatius, Heather Long, Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank, Catherine Rampell, Eugene Robinson, Jennifer Rubin and Karen Tumulty.

In nan governmental world, erstwhile Biden advisor Susan Rice wrote aggregate posts expressing her outrage.

"As a DC autochthonal and lifelong subscriber to nan Post, I’m disgusted. You person mislaid us," she wrote, past added, "So overmuch for ‘Democracy Dies successful Darkness’. This is nan astir hypocritical, chickenhearted s[---] move from a publication that is expected to clasp group successful powerfulness to account."

She responded to a study of a Washington Post editorial committee personnel blasting nan decision, saying, "So what are they going to do astir it? The full Post editorial section should locomotion out."

"This is what Oligarchy is about. Jeff Bezos, nan 2nd wealthiest personification successful nan world and nan proprietor of nan Washington Post, overrides his editorial committee and refuses to endorse Kamala. Clearly, he is acrophobic of antagonizing Trump and losing Amazon’s national contracts. Pathetic," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote.

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Fox News Digital’s Scott Whitlock contributed to this report.