The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post faced scrutiny after ownership did not allow them to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. As a result, the publications were met with canceled subscriptions and resignations from Editorial Board members, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The decisions shocked readers and members of the Editorial Boards who drafted endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris. Despite the journalists’ desire to support Harris, the Post and Times’ endorsements were blocked by the papers’ ultrarich owners, Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong, respectively.
Editorial boards serve as the voice of publications on pressing issues and the owners’ decision to suppress their voices undermines journalism ethics and interferes with the work of reporters.
Journalism’s current financial situation is causing necessary interventions by corporate powers that have proven to manipulate the editorial process. It’s important to be aware of the non-endorsement decisions and the risk they pose to students’ ability to trust journalistic outlets.
Bezos and Soon-Shiong claimed the decisions were to maintain an unbiased angle of journalism, even though editorial boards are meant to be opinionated. However, the high stakes of the election and speculated self-interest guiding the decision resulted in backlash.
Since Soon-Shiong’s acquisition of the Times in 2018, journalists expressed frustration about his family’s interference with their coverage, POLITICO reported. Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origins, met with President-elect Donald Trump hours before the decision to revoke the endorsement, NPR reported.
The Times has a history of refusing to endorse candidates, but that decision was made by the editorial board. It’s not common for owners to interfere with newsroom operations, and Soon-Shiong and Bezos’ actions threaten the originality of journalists.
Daniel Pearson, an editorial writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, worries the papers’ resolution may set a precedent for editorial decisions to be made by wealthy owners instead of reporters.
“Beyond just endorsements, there’s a potential for owners and publishers to weigh in on a variety of topics, to undermine the independence of an editorial board,” Pearson said. “Once they set the precedent of doing it on an endorsement, especially doing it last minute the way they did, you start to fear that they might do it elsewhere.”
Young people already distrust traditional news outlets. Adults 30 and younger have almost equal trust in social media news and information from reputable sources, according to a 2024 poll by Pew Research Center.
The doubt cast on the editorial boards further divides consumers, as it ignores the work of journalists and their professional reputations.
Students shouldn’t let the actions of Bezos and Soon-Shiong influence their trust in journalism. Editorial board members are veteran writers and editors who go through vigorous fact-checking and research methods to back up arguments.
Students should support local newspapers to ensure they can operate independently and without external interference. Despite social media being accessible, information can be misconstrued or false, and it’s important students get news from reliable outlets that follow the ethics and standards of journalism.
David Mindich, a journalism professor, doubts Bezos and Soon-Shiong decisions’ aided in Trump’s victory, but he believes a truly independent editorial board is crucial for educating readers.
“None of us has enough time to really investigate every candidate,” Mindich said. “And a newspaper can devote people full time to investigating this and then disseminating it to their audience. I think it really serves democracy.”
The Post and Times were acquired to provide financial assistance as they struggled to adapt to the digital landscape. While monetary contributions from Bezos and Soon-Shiong were necessary to revitalize the publications, finances shouldn’t influence editorial operations.
Journalism is crucial to education and political awareness, and the encroaching threats on the field cannot be ignored. Being knowledgeable of the current landscape of journalism and the threats to reliable news is of utmost importance.
Deesarine Ballayan believes the Post and Times’ non-endorsement is indicative of a larger problem in national media.
“It’s exhausting,” said Ballayan, a graduate journalism student. “And they don’t realize that it just takes a multitude of people in the room to create a good industry, instead of the same five or six people or the same wealthy people over and over again.”
Editorial boards are a fundamental part of the journalistic process. They serve as the voice for the publication and influence change by voicing their opinions on pressing issues. Supporting the work of these boards is crucial to keeping them alive and making a difference in the journalism field.
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