Additional Coverage:
- Legendary Watergate reporters Woodward and Bernstein slam Washington Post for shying away from endorsement (newsbreak.com)
Legendary journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein have criticized the Washington Post for not endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
They argue that the newspaper’s decision ignores its own reporting on the threat posed by Donald Trump to American democracy.
Former Washington Post editor-in-chief Marty Baron called the decision “cowardice” and said it would be seen as an invitation for Trump to intimidate the paper’s owner.
Washington Post publisher Will Lewis defended the decision, saying it was a return to the paper’s original policy of not endorsing presidential candidates.
However, a group of opinion writers at the Post argued that not endorsing was a mistake that abandoned the newspaper’s commitment to democratic values.
Robert Kagan, an editor-at-large at the Post, resigned after the decision, and the general tenor in the newsroom was reportedly negative.
The Los Angeles Times also decided not to make an endorsement in the presidential race, following a similar decision by its owner.