Democracy dies in darkness. And already shadows are falling over Washington and Los Angeles. Despite the Washington Post’s famous tagline, the paper has refused to endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in 36 years. An editorial endorsing Kamala Harris was supposedly written and abandoned. The decision led to staff resignations, fury from journalists, more than 200,00 readers reportedly cancelling subscriptions, and new concerns about media ownership. Martin Baron, a former Post executive editor, said such “cowardice” had led to “a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty”. For the title that exposed Watergate and won a Pulitzer for its enquiry into Trump’s incitement of the Capitol riots, this is a particularly grubby tragedy.
The Post’s publisher and chief executive, William Lewis, who formerly edited the Daily Telegraph, wrote in a statement: “We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.” (The title first did so in 1976.) “Our job at the Washington Post is to provide… non-partisan news for all Americans.” Which might be credible had it been articulated years before an election. But days before? When one of the candidates has said he will take revenge on news organisations that anger him?
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