Bezos Sparks Crisis at Washington Post with Non-Endorsement

Jeff Bezos faced backlash over his decision to censor The Washington Post's endorsement of Kamala Harris while he celebrated Katy Perry's 40th birthday in Europe. The decision, which marked a break from 36 years of tradition, incited a wave of resignations from staff and a reported loss of approximately 250,000 digital subscribers, nearly 10% of the paper's readership. Bezos defended the non-endorsement in an op-ed, arguing that such endorsements do not influence elections and only create perceptions of bias. Critics, including former executive editor Marty Baron and notable journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, condemned the move as detrimental to democracy. The crisis raises concerns about the future of the paper and its financial stability, as it had only recently begun to recover from previous subscriber declines. The chaos at the publication has led to questions about Bezos's commitment and the direction of the newspaper he acquired in 2013 for $250 million.