The Washington Post decided not to endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in decades, the paper’s publisher announced Friday.
William Lewis, the Post’s chief executive officer and publisher, said the paper has decided not to make presidential endorsements in any future elections in order to allow readers to “make up their own minds” on consequential decisions and provide “non-partisan news,” his statement reads. He argued that the paper must be politically “independent” rather than engaged in partisan politics.
“The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates … We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable,” Lewis said. “We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects.”
“We also see it as a statement in support of our readers’ ability to make up their own minds on this, the most consequential of American decisions — whom to vote for as the next president.” Lewis continued.
NEWS: The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement in this year’s presidential race, the editor of the editorial pages has told colleagues at a tense meeting this morning
THREAD AND LINK: https://t.co/papQiStKDC
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024
The Post broke their “long-standing policy” of not endorsing candidates when the paper publicly backed former President Jimmy Carter in 1976, Lewis said. The paper has endorsed presidential candidates since the 1980s, but the outlet wants to return to their “roots.”
The Los Angeles Times made a similar decision, announcing Tuesday that they would not make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 20 years. The outlet has endorsed the Democratic nominee for president in every election since 2008 when former President Barack Obama first ran.
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