More than 250,000 Washington Post subscribers canceled their subscriptions

More than 250,000 readers of The Washington Post canceled their subscriptions after it was announced that the newspaper would not endorse a candidate in the presidential election. This decision, announced by publisher Will Lewis, led to a "big jump" in the number of cancellations, causing The Washington Post to lose about 10% of its digital subscribers.

The decision not to endorse any candidate in the election race comes just two weeks before the election, which has sparked a wave of outrage among readers, including former employees and prominent figures who have publicly canceled their subscriptions via social media. Among the former employees, former executive editor Marty Baron called the decision „cowardly,” implying that newspaper owner Jeff Bezos is attempting to appease a potential new administration of Donald Trump in this way.

While numerous subscribers canceled their subscriptions, The Washington Post also lost three members of the editorial board who resigned. Bezos, attempting to defuse the situation, published a rare op-ed in which he acknowledged that the timing of this decision could have been chosen better, as the proximity to the election created the impression of a conflict of interest.

In his address, Bezos stated that his ownership rights over Amazon and Blue Origin, companies that hold billion-dollar federal contracts, complicate the newspaper's position, but he emphasized that there was no intention to influence the outcome of the election or to consciously steer the decision toward gaining the support of either side.

Bezos further stated that the decision to stop endorsing presidential candidates was made to regain readers„ trust. ”Endorsements of presidential candidates create a perception of bias,„ Bezos wrote, adding that abolishing the practice was ”a principled and correct decision.”

SOURCE: CNN PHOTO: YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT