We’re all familiar with the classic "quiet game" that teachers used to keep order in our classrooms when we were young. It had varying degrees of success back then, especially when the participants were children. It turns out, though, that when adults are playing politics, nationally published newspapers should probably make some noise. This week, Jeff Bezos—the owner of The Washington Post—blocked a traditional presidential endorsement from the editorial board of his newspaper, and subscribers are ticked off.
The Washington Post has endorsed presidential candidates it deemed best for the job in every general election since 1976. That tradition came to a screeching halt this week when a prepared endorsement for Kamala Harris, written by the editorial board, was buried by Bezos, never to see the light of day.
The backlash was swift and immediate. Even before word spread through the flames of social media, The Washington Post newsroom was in an uproar. Several resignation letters were submitted, including one from editor-at-large Robert Kagan. Journalists from around the world have criticized The Washington Post, seeing this as one billionaire doing another billionaire a favor. In response, Alexandra Petri went ahead and published the endorsement anyway, stating, “It has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to endorse Harris for president.”
And that was just the newsroom backlash. The public outcry has been brutal. More than 200,000 people have canceled their subscriptions. Assuming these are digital subscriptions at $4 per month, that’s nearly $10 million lost in one fell swoop—without even counting physical subscriptions.
Bezos claimed that pulling the endorsement and remaining strictly neutral throughout the 2024 presidential election would boost trust. As her ladyship Alanis Morissette once sang, “Isn’t it ironic?”
When one plays silly games, one can expect to win silly prizes. When you play the game of silence, subscribers will hear you loud and clear—and they’ll hit back where it hurts: your bottom line. The Washington Post may have tried to play it safe in this inflammatory election cycle, but alas. They have indeed effed around, and now, they are finding out.
