• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 27, 2024

The great journalist and press critic A.J. Liebling observed that freedom of the press belongs to the man who owns one. What brings this to mind is the fact that Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, and Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, are refraining from making Presidential endorsements, specifically of Kamala Harris. 

One could argue that they are in their rights. But both are being savaged by critics on and off their staffs. Readers have cancelled their subscriptions. And the legendary duo of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who helped bring Richard Nixon down in the 1970s, bringing great honor to the Post, have critiqued Bezos in the following way:

“We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post’s own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy,” Woodward and Bernstein wrote. 

They continue, “Under Jeff Bezos’ ownership, the Washington Post’s news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy. And that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral process.”

Bezos is certainly taking a beating. One of these days, he might decide that he doesn’t need this abuse and simply sell out.