Washington Post Declines To Make Presidential Endorsement For First Time In Decades

The Washington Post’s editorial page will not make a presidential endorsement for the first time in decades and will decline to endorse any candidate going forward, controversial publisher and CEO William Lewis announced Friday.

In a note to readers, Lewis said the paper would be returning to its “roots” by declining to offer an endorsement of either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.

“We recognize that this will be read in a range 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. We don’t see it that way,” Lewis wrote.

He went on: “Our job at The Washington Post is to provide through the newsroom nonpartisan news for all Americans, and thought-provoking, reported views from our opinion team to help our readers make up their own minds.”

Staffers were told of the decision in a “tense” morning meeting, according to NPR, which noted the reaction was “uniformly negative.”

Longtime Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron, now retired, slammed the decision on social media.

“This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty,” Baron wrote. “@RealDonaldTrump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner @JeffBezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”

Billionaire Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013. Amazon holds contracts with the government worth billions.

In his note to readers, Lewis cited how The Washington Post did not offer presidential endorsements through much of the 20th century, picking them up again consistently with its 1992 Bill Clinton endorsement.

Earlier in the week, a decision by the Los Angeles Times to decline to endorse Trump or Harris led to the resignation of Editorials Editor Mariel Garza.

Lewis attracted criticism earlier this year for his ties to shady British tabloid reporting practices. After he recruited former Daily Telegraph editor Robert Winnett to oversee the Washington Post’s news operations, Winnett was reported to have been involved with an effort to use deception to obtain former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s unpublished memoir. Winnett later resigned.

Lewis’ reorganization of the Post’s newsroom also prompted the resignation of Executive Editor Sally Buzbee this summer.

While Lewis’ own job appeared imperiled amid the wave of instability at one of the nation’s largest newspapers, he has held on to his post so far.