Three-Fourths Of Newspapers Have Not Endorsed A Candidate: Report
- by Ray Schultz , November 4, 2024
The 2024 election season is over, but the debate about presidential endorsements is likely to go on following the decisions by The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times to offer no endorsements.
A new report from NiemanLab shows that three-quarters of the largest newspapers in the country have not endorsed anyone this year.
Of the publications studied, 22 newspapers have endorsed Kamala Harris, two have gone for Donald Trump and 71 have endorsed no one.
The biggest culprits are the nation’s four largest newspaper chains: Alden Global Capital (through its control of MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing), Gannett, Lee Newspapers, and McClatchy, NiemanLab writes.
The picture has gotten worse for readers who want to see endorsements, as shown by these comparative figures from the 2016 and 2020 races, as reported by NiemanLab.
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2016
61 endorsed Hillary Clinton
1 endorsed Donald Trump
3 endorsed Gary Johnson
2 endorsed “anyone but Trump”
21 endorsed no one
7 are unknown
2020
44 endorsed Joe Biden
7 endorsed Donald Trump
44 endorsed no one
Ray, there is a reason why there are fewer endorsements. Many newspapers are part of the Google class-action lawsuit in advertising. Harris' biggest contribution is Google. Let the readers decide.