Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, breaking decades of tradition

New York
CNN
—

For the first time in decades, The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate in this year’s elections, the newspaper’s publisher announced Friday.

“The Washington Post will not endorse any presidential candidate in this election. Not even in future presidential elections,” Will Lewis said in a published statement. “We are returning to our roots of not supporting presidential candidates.”

The Post has endorsed a presidential candidate in every election since the 1980s. In his statement, Lewis referred to the editorial board’s previous decisions not to endorse it, noting that it is a right “we are returning to.”

“We recognize that this will be read in a variety of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable,” Lewis continued. “We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values ​​that The Post has always stood for and that we hope for in a leader: character and courage in the service of American ethics, reverence for the rule of law and respect for human freedom in all its aspects . ”

Before the announcement, The Post’s editorial page editor David Shipley told staff that Lewis would publish a public note detailing the decision.

“The news is important – and I know there will be strong reactions across the department,” Shipley wrote.

The Washington Post is owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Newspaper owners typically play a role in the approval of their publication and sign the editorial recommendations that reflect their views.

The decision comes just days after Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked the newspaper’s planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, leading to the resignations of three editorial staff members.