Jeff Bezos doubles down on unprecedented block of a presidential endorsement from ‘The Washington Post’ but admits ‘I am not an ideal owner’

last friday, mail She announced that she would not support a candidate in the upcoming elections, which some considered so One of the closest In modern American history. Two sources said mail Writers produced an article endorsing Kamala Harris, but the story was killed by Bezos, the outlet’s billionaire owner.

In the face of backlash, Bezos stands by his words. But Bezos’ op-ed suggests this is a policy change for future elections. Regarding the issue of support, he said: Ending it is a preliminary decision, and it is the correct decision. He described his decision as a “meaningful step in the right direction” when it comes to restoring readers’ trust amid disappointment in the sector overall.

Quoted from Gallup Data regarding declining trust in institutions including the media, Bezos wrote, “Our profession is now the least trusted it has ever been. It is clear that the thing we are doing is not working. Despite being the owner of mail Since 2013, Bezos has made his fortune and spent most of his career in the technology sector where he founded Amazon. Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“It would be easy to blame others for our long and sustained decline in credibility (and thus our influence), but a victim mentality won’t help,” Bezos wrote. “Complaining is not a strategy.” Continuing to claim that “presidential endorsements do nothing to tip an election,” Bezos said all they do is “create a perception of bias.”

Research from professors at Brown University He appears A stated endorsement actually has a significant impact “meaning that voters are more likely to support the recommended candidate after the endorsement is posted.” But the effect varies based on the individual’s bias.

Even Bezos admits the timing is a bit off, with the election only two weeks away. Describing the move as “inadequate planning, rather than some deliberate strategy,” he insists that “there is no trade-off of any kind at work here.” And this is all despite Dave Limp, CEO of Bezos’ Blue Origin, meeting with Republican candidate Donald Trump on the day of the announcement.

Bezos said he was not aware of the meeting in advance, and implored people to trust him. Call his track record in mailBezos said his views were “principled.”

This may not be a billionaire’s job, as Bezos admits (although without any apparent desire to quit). “When it comes to the appearance of conflict, I am not the ideal owner of The Post,” he wrote, noting that officials at Amazon, Blue Origin, or any other company in which he invests often meet with politicians. “I once wrote that The Post is ‘complicated’ to me. It is, but it turns out I’m also a complicated person for The Washington Post.

The newspaper, which carries the slogan “Democracy Lies in the Dark,” has supported a candidate since 1976, the only other time a candidate has endorsed a candidate. mail Refusal to do so was in 1988, according to NPR. The choice to remain on the sidelines has been met with some backlash from internal and external figures.

Editor-at-Large Robert Kagan to resign On the same day the change in certifications was announced CNN That the policy was “clearly an attempt by Jeff Bezos to curry favor with Donald Trump in anticipation of his potential victory,” as Trump “threatened to go after Bezos’ businesses.” Three out of ten people on Supports Editorial Board He also resigned because of the decision, while others resigned Journalists and Columnists He also resigned in response.

An editorial signed by 21 mail Columnists He disavowed the choice as a “terrible mistake,” adding that it “represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper we love.”

Bezos’ choice also caused a decline in readership: As of Monday, more than 200,000 people — representing about 8% of the paper’s total subscriber base — had canceled their subscriptions to the paper, the sources said. NPR.

“It’s a huge number,” said Marcus Brauchli, former executive editor of The Washington Post. NPR of the drop in subscribers, adding that there was no way to know “why the decision was made.:

A potentially critical element of America’s distrust of the media is its growing suspicion of the rich. With wealth inequality on the rise, more than half (59%) of Americans believe billionaires create a fairer society for everyone. Harris Paul A survey of more than 2,100 adults in the United States was published.

While participants have some respect for the impact billionaires have on the economy, many want them out of certain fields. One of these challenges is the media, as 42% of Americans do not believe that billionaires should be able to buy businesses in the media sector.

As one of the richest people in the world, Bezos’ wealth is not just the elephant in the room; It’s basically the entire room. “You can see my wealth and business interests as a bulwark against intimidation, or you can see them as a web of conflicting interests,” he wrote in his op-ed. Some Americans seem to see it as the latter.