Bezos Cites 'Credibility Gap' in Defending Washington Post's End to Presidential Endorsements

Oct 28, 2024, 11:42 PM

Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, published an op-ed defending the newspaper's decision to cease endorsing presidential candidates. He stated that such endorsements create a perception of bias and do not influence election outcomes, stressing that "what presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias." Bezos highlighted the "credibility gap" in journalism, asserting that "Americans don't trust the news media." He emphasized the need for the media to be both accurate and believed to be accurate, admitting that "we are failing on the second requirement." Bezos aligned this decision with the principles of former publisher Eugene Meyer, who advocated for non-partisanship from 1933 to 1946. He also denied any financial motives, stating that "no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here," and expressed his wish that the decision had been made earlier, "in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it."