Washington Post Loses 2 Lakh Subscribers Over Refusing Presidential Endorsement Ahead Of US Elections

The Washington Post has reportedly lost more than 2,00,000 subscribers since announcing it would not endorse a candidate in the upcoming presidential election. This decision, made public last week, is reverberating across the media landscape and causing financial and reputational ripples for the prominent news outlet. NPR broke the news, citing insider sources familiar with the situation.

Historically, the Post has offered endorsements during presidential campaigns, a practice many readers rely on for guidance. However, the editorial team's recent choice to refrain from endorsing either Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump has raised eyebrows, particularly with Election Day less than two weeks away. In previous reports, it was suggested that the editorial staff had initially drafted an endorsement for Kamala Harris but later decided to leave the decision to readers.

The timing of this non-endorsement and the abrupt shift from previous practices have drawn criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. It has also led to speculation about whether the decision was influenced by Jeff Bezos, the paper's owner and Amazon founder. Some critics have suggested that Bezos might have concerns about potential retaliation from Trump if the former president is re-elected.

The decision not to endorse a candidate has apparently had substantial financial repercussions for The Washington Post, which has seen a significant drop in its subscriber base. According to NPR's report, the Post had over 2.5 million subscribers in 2023, primarily digital, placing it just behind The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in US newspaper circulation. With over 2,00,000 cancellations, the outlet now faces a sizable loss in both revenue and readership.

This wave of cancellations follows a similar fallout experienced by the Los Angeles Times, which also declined to endorse a candidate and acknowledged it had lost thousands of subscribers as a result.

The decision has not only unsettled readers but has also triggered disapproval from former Post editors. Marty Baron, the retired executive editor of The Washington Post, took to social media to express his dismay, calling the move an act of "cowardice, with democracy as its casualty." Baron's critique underscores the gravity of the Post's choice in a climate where many view editorial endorsements as a part of the democratic discourse.

Some current Post journalists have also weighed in, with columnist Dana Milbank urging readers to reconsider cancelling their subscriptions, noting that a drop in revenue could jeopardize the jobs of reporters and editors who have no influence over editorial endorsements.

The reaction from readers has been emphatic and vocal. An article on The Washington Post's website discussing the aftermath of the non-endorsement gathered over 2,000 comments, many of which echoed frustration, disappointment, and a sense of betrayal. Among these, a comment from a reader who identified as a 70-year-long subscriber encapsulated the general sentiment, stating, "I am unsubscribing after 70 years."

*Inputs from AP*