In 1860, The New York Times became the first major newspaper to endorse a candidate for president (Abraham Lincoln), beginning a tradition that has continued at many large metropolitan newspapers. So last week, when The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times announced they would not be endorsing a candidate for the Nov. 5 election, it created a wave of protest, not only among readers but among the staffs of the two newspapers.
L.A. Times editor Mariel Garza resigned in protest when the paper’s owner since 2018, Patrick Soon-Shiong, jettisoned a planned endorsement of Kamala Harris. Three members of the Post’s editorial board stepped down after that newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, quashed a planned editorial endorsing Harris. It is estimated that the decision has cost the newspaper 200,000 subscriptions in a matter of only a few days.
As much as anything, it is the timing of these announcements, just two weeks before the election, that has led to the negative reactions. Those decisions could have and should have been made months ago, which would not have created suspicions about the newspapers’ motives.
As is, the decision to essentially pull endorsements for Harris is seen as something of an endorsement of her opponent, former president Donald Trump, not to mention an undermining of the staff of each paper.
While expressing regret that the decision wasn’t made sooner, Bezos defended his decision in Monday’s Post, saying he made it to protect the newspapers’ credibility.
He wrote: “Let me give an analogy. Voting machines must meet two requirements. They must count the vote accurately, and people must believe they count the vote accurately … Likewise with newspapers. We must be accurate, and we must be believed to be accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing on the second requirement. Most people believe the media is biased. … We must work harder to control what we can control to increase our credibility.”
This reasoning leads us to question why Bezos allows an opinion page in his paper at all.
Maintaining objective reporting while also offering insightful commentary is a balancing act that traditional newsrooms – print, digital and broadcast alike – take extremely seriously.
There was a time when TV broadcasters such as Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite were considered almost entirely trustworthy, even though neither was shy on expressing his views on controversial topics. Newspapers in larger markets approach it a bit differently, maintaining separate news and opinion staff.
To wilt in the face of accusations of lost objectivity – as Bezos has done – doesn’t strengthen a newspaper’s credibility, it diminishes it. Bezos has blinked, and in the process, has harmed what he claims to be protecting.
It’s a fool’s errand. Newspapers never have been, and never will be, all things to all people. As long as newspapers offer a forum for expressing opinions on current affairs on its clearly-defined opinion/editorial pages, there will be a perception of bias. There are two ways to avoid it. The first is to no longer provide a forum where ideas can be discussed and debated. The second is the unrelenting pursuit of accurate, balanced reporting of the news.
We have long-maintained that a lively opinion page is essential for a community newspaper, not in an attempt to control readers’ opinions but to encourage dialogue and to give an insider perspective. We believe these reasons hold true for larger papers too.
A newspaper’s credibility relies on its accuracy in reporting, not on which candidate it chooses to endorse.
The only avenue to credibility is reporting the news as accurately as possible. Any other strategy is folly.
Endorsements have nothing to do with that.
Editor’s note: With the exception of 2008, The Dispatch hasn’t endorsed national presidential candidates and will not this year. The paper occasionally makes state and local endorsements, most recently in the 2023 gubernatorial race and the 2021 Columbus mayor’s race.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
