Washington Post CEO William Lewis takes blame for scuttling presidential endorsement for Kamala Harris

Amid the sharp reaction, Washington Post CEO Williams Lewis said he has stopped the newspaper’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. Owner Jeff Bezos was responsible for the controversial decision.

Lewis The rejected claims come as the Amazon billionaire scrapped a previously planned endorsement for the Democratic nominee – breaking a 36-year tradition at the newspaper – just 11 days before the 2024 election, insisting he would He himself is against supporting the President.

“Reporting around the role of.” Washington Post The decision not to publish the owner and president’s endorsement is wrong, Lewis said in a statement, according to The Daily Beast.

“It was not sent to him, he did not read it and he did not give his opinion on any draft. As a publisher, I don’t believe in supporting the President. “We are an independent newspaper and we should support our readers’ ability to make up their own minds.”

Friday’s decision – which according to Lewis will also be valid for “any future presidential election” – is as follows The Los Angeles Times, owned by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiongalso refused to issue endorsements, resulting in a flood of resignations From its editorial board.

Following the announcement, the newspaper published an article written by two journalists stating that the editorial page staff had already drafted an endorsement for Harris over former President Donald Trump, and Lewis before finishing it. And were waiting for approval from Bezos.

One Washpo Editor, Robert Kagan, have already resigned upon decision, while 2,000 readers canceled their subscriptions within 24 hours, which one staffer called an “unusually high number”. Semaphore reported,

Furious high-profile employees have also criticized Friday’s announcement on social media.

“I didn’t sign up to be a journalist to keep quiet about what’s most important. I haven’t come here to be a coward. Some of us really believe in speaking truth to power. Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah said, today we were deceived Wrote on X Friday,

Marty Baron, former editor of The Washington Post, called the newspaper’s decision “cowardly, at the expense of democracy.”

Famous Watergate Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein also criticized the decision. To keep The Washington Post neutral in the 2024 presidential race by refusing to endorse Harris for president.

“We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days before the 2024 presidential election ignores The Washington Post’s own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat to democracy posed by Donald Trump,” the pair said in a statement. ” Published by CNN Friday.

Bezos, Who bought the Washington Post in 2013has not publicly considered running for president, amid claims from some Washpo insiders who speculate that Bezos does not want to alienate Trump as he gains momentum to recapture the White House. Are.