Bezos defends Washington Post

Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, defended the newspaper's recent decision to stop endorsing presidential candidates, labeling it a 'principled decision' aimed at addressing the media's credibility crisis. He emphasized that endorsements foster perceptions of bias and do not influence election outcomes, stating, 'No undecided voters in Pennsylvania are going to say, “I’m going with Newspaper A’s endorsement.”' Following the announcement, which resulted in the resignation of multiple editorial staff and a reported loss of 200,000 digital subscribers (8% of its total), Bezos rejected any allegations of personal interests or a quid pro quo with Donald Trump. He expressed regret that the change wasn't made earlier to avoid the heightened emotions surrounding the election. The decision has sparked significant backlash both inside and outside the publication, with critics arguing it undermines journalistic integrity. Bezos concluded that the move was necessary to combat declining trust in news media and to prevent the Post from fading into irrelevance amidst social media misinformation.