Jeff Bezos WaPo Refuses To Endorse Kamala Harris

(Scypre.com) – Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of the Washington Post, has been facing criticism for actions taken by his aerospace company, Blue Origin, which coincide with decisions made by the newspaper ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Blue Origin executives reportedly met with Donald Trump on the same day the Post decided not to endorse his opponent, leading to questions of influence and motives.

According to the New York Times, top editors at the Washington Post traveled to Miami in late September 2024 to meet with Bezos. He was reportedly hesitant about the paper endorsing a candidate in the November 5 election. Ultimately, the Post announced on Friday that it would not endorse any candidate, despite an already drafted endorsement for Kamala Harris. Bezos owns Amazon as well as Blue Origin, both of which compete for valuable federal contracts, adding further complexity to the situation.

Just hours after the Post’s announcement, high-ranking Blue Origin executives David Limp, CEO, and Megan Mitchell, vice president of government relations, met with Donald Trump after a campaign speech in Austin, Texas. Trump is seeking a return to the presidency, and the Associated Press confirmed the meeting between Trump and Blue Origin representatives. Furthermore, CNN reported that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also recently reached out to Trump by phone.

Washington Post editor-at-large Robert Kagan, a longtime columnist, resigned following these revelations, condemning what he saw as an implicit deal between Bezos and Trump. Speaking to the Daily Beast, Kagan suggested that the Blue Origin meeting would not have taken place if the Post had moved forward with endorsing Vice President Harris. “It shows there was an actual arrangement,” Kagan argued, emphasizing that communication occurred between Bezos and Trump that led to this decision.

Will Lewis, the Post’s publisher who was hired by Bezos earlier this year, took responsibility for the decision to abandon the Harris endorsement, but this has not done much to quell the internal and external backlash. Eighteen of the newspaper’s opinion columnists signed a dissenting piece calling the decision “a terrible mistake.” They pointed out that the Post had already made endorsements during this election cycle, including for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland. They also noted the newspaper’s history of endorsing presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, both times against Trump.

Former and current Washington Post employees have voiced concerns about the implications of the decision. They cited Trump’s well-documented admiration for authoritarian leaders and warned of the dangers his return to office might pose to American democracy. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the journalists who broke the Watergate scandal, called the Post’s decision “disappointing.” Meanwhile, former executive editor Marty Baron labeled the move “cowardice,” adding that it endangered democracy.

The newspaper’s editorial cartoon team published a dark, formless image as a form of protest, a nod to the paper’s slogan “democracy dies in darkness.” The decision also led to public backlash, with notable readers such as author Stephen King and former congresswoman Liz Cheney announcing that they had canceled their subscriptions in protest.

The Los Angeles Times has faced similar criticism after its owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, refused to allow the editorial board to endorse Harris. Many observers likened these decisions to the concept of “anticipatory obedience,” a term popularized by historian Timothy Snyder in his book “On Tyranny.” The term refers to the tendency to surrender power to an aspiring authoritarian even before they demand it.

Bezos, currently the world’s second wealthiest person after Elon Musk, bought the Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million. Musk, notably, has emerged as a vocal supporter of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid. Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021, citing his intention to focus more on Blue Origin. Reports indicate that Bezos became more involved in the Washington Post in 2023 as it faced financial struggles, declining morale, and a wave of employee departures.

Bezos’ decision to appoint Lewis as publisher in January 2024 did little to address these issues, according to insiders. Concerns were raised regarding Lewis’s past conduct, including allegations that he had “fraudulently obtained phone and company records” while working as a journalist in London, according to the New York Times. Despite this, Bezos reassured newsroom leaders in a June memo that “the journalistic standards and ethics at the Post will not change.”

The controversy surrounding the Post’s non-endorsement and Bezos’ ties to both Blue Origin and Amazon has led many to question the influence of corporate interests on journalism and the potential implications for democratic values. As the election approaches, the situation underscores the complex relationships between the media, billionaires, and political power—all factors that could shape the future of American democracy.

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