The Washington Post It reportedly lost more than 200,000 digital subscriptions and three members of its editorial board resigned after the decision to quit. to confirm candidate in the presidential election between the vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
Citing two internal affairs sources in the post, NPR‘s David Folkenflik reported Monday that the paper has lost about 8% of its paid circulation of 2.5 million subscribers, including print editions, since the decertification was announced Friday.
Molly Roberts, David Hoffman and Mili Mitra resigned from the paper’s 10-member editorial board over the controversial endorsement decision, but they remain on the Post staff, according to public statements and the paper.
This is the same as the number of resignations from the editorial board Los Angeles Times‘ the board of that newspaper in protest against the decision not to support the presidential candidate.
A Post spokeswoman declined to comment on subscription losses or editorial resignations when contacted by CNBC on Monday.
Also on Monday, USA Today said it would not endorse a presidential candidate this year. The GannettThe newspaper, one of the largest circulation newspapers in the United States, broke the tradition of not endorsing presidential candidates in 2020 when it called on readers to vote for president. Joe Biden On Trump.
But the Post has been endorsing presidential candidates for decades.
Will Lewis, the Post’s publisher and CEO, said the paper has decided to break with tradition and not endorse a presidential candidate this year or in future elections.
But a Post story on Friday reported, citing four people briefed on the decision, that the Post’s owner, Amazon the founder Jeff Bezosdecided not to give presidential approval anymore.
The newspaper denied this claim.
According to the newspaper’s own report, the Post’s editorial page planned to endorse Harris, the Democratic candidate.
In a letter to Post Opinions editor David Shipley announcing his resignation from the editorial board, Roberts wrote: “I oppose silence in the face of dictatorship. Here, there, everywhere.”
He also published a statement on the Internet. “To be clear, the decision not to endorse this election is not an editorial decision,” Roberts wrote. “It was (you can read the report) Jeff Bezos.”
“I am resigning from the editorial board of The Post because the moral imperative to support Kamala Harris over Donald Trump is clear. Even worse, our silence is exactly what Donald Trump wants: silence for the media, for us.”
Lewis said in a statement Saturday that reports about The Washington Post owner’s role and the decision not to publish the president’s endorsement were incorrect.
“He wasn’t sent, he didn’t read, and he didn’t comment on any projects,” Lewis said. “As a publisher, I do not believe in the approval of the president. We are an independent newspaper and we must support our readers’ ability to make their own decisions.
“While USA TODAY does not endorse the president, it has the right to endorse local editors of publications on the USA TODAY Network at the state or local level,” USA Today spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton said in an emailed statement Monday.
“Many chose not to support individual candidates, but instead endorsed key local and state issues on the ballot that affect the community,” Anton said. “Why are we doing this? Because we believe America’s future is decided locally—one race at a time. With more than 200 publications nationwide, our public service is to provide readers with the facts that matter and the reliable information they need to make informed decisions.”
USA Today’s decision was previously reported by The Daily Beast.