The Washington Post is experiencing an internal "earthquake" after its owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, decided not to support the presidential candidacy of Democrat Kamala Harris. This action has led to two resignations and calls to cancel subscriptions to the newspaper.
Critics of the decision believe that Bezos seeks to avoid confrontations in case of a possible second term for Republican Trump, and that it has been a premature capitulation. Editor Robert Kagan and columnist Michele Norris resigned, calling the change a mistake and an insult to the standards of the newspaper. Eighteen columnists expressed their disagreement, arguing that the new stance represents a abandonment of the newspaper's convictions.
The Post's editor-in-chief, William Lewis, announced that the media will remain neutral in this election and will not support either Harris or Trump, which is unusual in the American tradition where media usually show their support for a presidential candidate. Although the editorial board had prepared an article supporting Harris, Bezos ordered its publication to be stopped, marking the first time in decades that the paper does not support the Democratic candidate.
The newspaper has focused its editorial line on criticizing Trump and supporting Democratic candidates in previous elections. William Lewis denied that the decision was influenced by Bezos, arguing that they aim to maintain their independence and return to their origins of not endorsing candidates. The internal reaction has been diverse, from resignations to readers canceling their subscriptions in disagreement with the new editorial stance.
Despite the controversy, journalists and editors of the Washington Post have defended the work and courage of the newspaper to reveal threats to democracy, despite the decision of the owner and the editor. This episode has sparked a debate about the independence of the media and its role in the current political landscape of the United States.
