The Washington Post is facing a revolt not only among its staff and editorial board but also among its most anti-Trump subscribers. Following the newspaper’s decision—influenced by owner and tech billionaire Jeff Bezos—not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential race, The Post has seen over 200,000 digital readers cancel their subscriptions as of Monday afternoon.
With a total readership estimated to be around 2.5 million, The Washington Post has seen nearly 10 percent of its total subscriber base evaporate in a matter of days. The Post has struggled to remain financially viable in recent years and largely relies on cash injections from Bezos to stay afloat.
THE NON-ENDORSEMENT.
Late last week, the newspaper—whose slogan, adopted in 2017 in protest of President Donald J. Trump, is “Democracy Dies in Darkness”—shocked the American political landscape when it declined to make a presidential endorsement for the first time since 1988. Will Lewis, the newspaper’s Chief Executive and Publisher, justified the decision as a move to reaffirm The Post’s independence.
Meanwhile, management at The Washington Post is reportedly concerned that the cancellations will continue to rise with its left-wing readership unsated. Marcus Brauchli, former Executive Editor of The Post, described the cancellations as significant and suggested a lack of communication and transparency by Bezos and Lewis regarding the endorsement decision is fueling the anger.
“The problem is, people don’t know why the decision was made. We basically know the decision was made but we don’t know what led to it,” Brauchli said in a recent interview with NPR. However, the former Executive Editor cautions subscribers from acting rashly, arguing: “It is a way to send a message to ownership but it shoots you in the foot if you care about the kind of in-depth, quality journalism like The Post produces.”
STAFF JUMP SHIP.
Meanwhile, the internal strife at The Washington Post is becoming increasingly untenable as well. At least two columnists and two editorial board members have resigned in protest. Molly Roberts, an eight-year veteran of the newspaper, quit on Monday, and fellow board member David Hoffman is said to be following suit. Additionally, columnist Michele Norris and editor-at-large Robert Kagan bolted from the paper over the weekend.
Kagan has gone on to insinuate that Bezos’s decision not to endorse is driven by business interests. He notes that Bezos-owned Blue Origin holds substantial NASA contracts and that the company allegedly met with Trump soon after the endorsement decision became public.
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