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The major newspapers say they will not endorse any candidate, but why?posted at 20:32 British Summer Time, October 25

20:32 BST 25 October

Antonio Zurcher
North America correspondent

Image source, EPA

What do the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times have in common? Both are major American newspapers that recently announced they would not endorse any presidential candidates this year.

Both are also owned by billionaires: medical executive and investor Patrick Soon-Shiong in Los Angeles and Amazon chief Jeff Bezos in Washington.

Soon-Shiong has acknowledged his direct involvement in the editorial process that led to his newspaper’s decision not to endorse him. There are unconfirmed reports that Bezos also weighed in with the Washington Post.

Both newspapers were also reportedly preparing to endorse Democrat Kamala Harris.

While senior leaders at both newspapers have said that the decision to break with a long-standing tradition is not a judgment on the relative suitability and qualifications of the two candidates, many journalists and people on the left do not see it that way, particularly considering that the announcements have occurred so close to election day.

Instead, they are accusing newspapers of bowing to the political – and corporate – interests of their wealthy owners.

Post editor William Lewis explained that the paper would allow readers to “make their own decisions,” although he did not say why it would continue to endorse candidates for other political offices.

Newspapers, which used to dominate the American media landscape, have seen the influence of their editorials decline in recent years, along with their circulation and readership.

It’s ironic, then, that the decisions not to endorse are likely to generate more attention for the two articles, negative and positive, than any recent editorial they have published.