Reader backlash against decision not to make presidential endorsement rolls on despite Bezos defense of decision

Deterioration of the Washington Post’s subscriber base continued on Tuesday, hours after its proprietor, Jeff Bezos, defended the decision to forgo formally endorsing a presidential candidate as part of an effort to restore trust in the media.

The publication has now shed 250,000 subscribers, or 10% of the 2.5 million customers it had before the decision was made public on Friday, according to the NPR reporter David Folkenflik.

A day earlier, 200,000 had left according to the same outlet.

The numbers are based on the number of cancellation emails that have been sent out, according to a source at the paper, though the subscriber dashboard is no longer viewable to employees.

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  • @[email protected]English
    -1•2 hours ago

    I gotta be honest… I don’t think news papers should officially endorse a candidate. Report on the issues accurately and call it a day. It reduces the perception of bias.

    • @FlowVoidEnglish
      13•2 hours ago

      There is literally an entire section called “Opinion”, where various columnists give their interpretation of the latest news.

      And if they are giving opinions, they should give an opinion about who should be president.

      • @[email protected]English
        3•1 hour ago

        Totally agree on the opinion section. I think if they want to they can opine on their candidate of choice, but I don’t see it as a necessity.

        Clearly I can’t read…

        • @FlowVoidEnglish
          4•1 hour ago

          They want to, but Bezos (who is not a journalist) is preventing them. That’s the problem.

    • @lennybirdEnglish
      6•2 hours ago

      Editorial boards are strictly segregated from the objective reporters. Except for right wing media anyway.