Bezos did not allow the Washington Post to endorse a US presidential candidate
Kyiv • UNN
Jeff Bezos has blocked the publication of a Washington Post editorial in support of a presidential candidate. The owner of the newspaper believes that supporting candidates reinforces the perception of media bias.
The American entrepreneur, founder of the online retailer Amazon.com and the aerospace company Blue Origin, strongly defends the Washington Post's “principled decision” not to endorse presidential candidates.
Writes UNN with reference to FT.
“Supporting a particular presidential candidate only reinforces the perception of media bias,” said owner Jeff Bezos, defending his decision to allow The Washington Post to remain neutral in the US presidential race.
Context
Last week, the Post reported that its editorial board had written a statement in support of Harris, which was not published at the behest of Bezos, who has owned the paper for 11 years. This was the first time the Post had not endorsed Harris since 1988.
The interference of one of the world's richest men in the affairs of one of the most famous American newspapers has drawn fierce criticism from current and former Post employees, including Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who broke the legendary Watergate investigation 40 years ago.
On Monday, Bezos wrote that he opposed the endorsement because it “gives the impression of bias.
AddendumAddendum
In addition to the Bezos case, the issue of ties between big bosses and press organizations has been the subject of increasing attention in the United States. Many observers are concerned about the risks to the credibility and independence of the media in the context of growing public distrust of elites.
