Why aren’t more major US newspapers endorsing presidential candidates |.. Los Angeles Times |

[The Epoch Times, 01 Samhain, 2024](Full report by Epoch Times reporter Cheng Wen) In the final sprint of the highly competitive US presidential election, the three major newspapers in the United States – the “Washington Post“, “Los Angeles Times” and “Today” United States” – Choosing not to support specific presidential candidates, it does not support the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris (Kamala Harris), or the Republican candidate, the former President (Trump). The list of these media is still growing. Why are more and more major American newspapers making such choices -partial?

Three major newspapers have announced they will remain neutral in the US presidential election

“Washington Post” publisher William Lewis said in a note to readers on October 25 that the media would not support presidential candidates in 2024 or “any future presidential election.” This is the first time in 36 years that the newspaper has not endorsed a particular candidate for president.

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, said on October 25 that the decision not to provide readers with recommendations on which presidential candidate would reduce national support. this tumultuous election year.

USA Today, the largest national and digital media publication in the United States, announced on October 28 that more than 200 American media outlets affiliated with USA Today and its parent company, Gannett Publishing Group, will not endorse “the President or any candidate in national. selection.

USA Today, which only endorsed a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in 2020 in the past 38 years, has again returned to neutrality.

The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times have supported Democratic presidential candidates in the past. This year, the billionaire owners behind them banned editorials prepared by their editorial boards in support. to Democratic presidential candidate Harris Harris, and then decided neutral. .

The public decisions of these major newspapers quickly made headlines in the media circle.

The name “Los Angeles Times” is still clearly visible at the former downtown Los Angeles Times building on January 19, 2024. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Trump’s explanation: They think I’m doing a good job

For former President Trump, the choice of these major newspapers to stand neutral shows that they do not really support the Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Harris Harris. This makes Trump feel that he has taken another victory step in the sprint before election day.

At a large campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, October 30, Trump told supporters: “Did you notice that the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times didn’t endorse anybody? Democrats. They think I’m doing a good job now and they don’t want to say it.”

Trump also commented on USA Today’s decision not to endorse any presidential candidate.

He said: “Washington Post and USA Today, congratulations. I just heard that USA Today doesn’t support it. They said, ‘We won’t support it.’ That means they think she (Harris) is not good enough.

On October 30, 2024, Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump appeared at a campaign event at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, wearing a janitor’s reflective vest. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

How America’s leading newspapers are taking sides in this year’s election

In the recent US presidential elections, it is clear that the majority of the US media have supported the Democratic presidential candidate, while only a small number of media have openly supported to give to Trump.

Among the media that openly support Harris in the 2024 election are the New York Times, Boston Globe, New Yorker Magazine, Seattle Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, “Denver Post” (Denver Post), “San Antonio Express -News” (San Antonio Express- News) and “Oregonian” (Oregonian), etc.

In an editorial, the New York Times praised Harris as “the only patriotic choice” and criticized Trump as “unfit to be president”.

Supporting Trump are conservative media such as the New York Post, Washington Times and Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The New York Post wrote: “Look[Trump]the same strength and energy as in 2016, despite a unique and shameful weapon in the justice system against him, two assassination attempts, and the hysterical attacks of the media. “

The Wall Street Journal has not endorsed a presidential candidate since President Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) and until now has been neutral.

The Wall Street Journal and USA Today compete for the position of the largest newspaper in the United States. (AFP)

Among national newspapers, the New York Times is the only one still endorsing a particular presidential candidate this year.

Among the major local newspapers that dropped the agreement this year and chose a neutral stance are the Minnesota Star Tribune and the Tampa Bay Times.

The Washington Post supported Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. The paper decided this year to let readers decide for themselves. Its publisher, William Lewis, said in a note to readers that the Washington Post’s job “is to bring unbiased news to all Americans through our newsroom and perspectives.” inspired by our opinion team to help our readers make their own decisions. “

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest businessmen, has hired Lewis this year to replace the paper’s longtime publisher, Fred Ryan).

Lewis hopes that the Post will remain neutral in future presidential elections as well, concluding the note: “Above all, as a newspaper in the nation’s capital the most important in the -world, our job is to stay independent. who we are now and what we will be in the future.”

The Los Angeles Times also leaves the choice of presidential candidates to the readers. Huang Xinxiang, the Chinese-American owner of the newspaper, said, “The decision process is this: how best to inform our readers, no one is better than us in trying to move fact from fiction,” and we leave it to readers to make their own decisions The final decision has been made.

Newspapers that want endorsements see it as their duty almost like this year in Pennsylvania – these declarations can be an important understanding tool for the voters.”

Freelance Journalist: Media should not endorse any political candidate

Some internal and external critics believe that Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, and Dr. Xinxiang Huang, owner of the Los Angeles Times, are withdrawing the agreement to protect their non-journalistic business interests, or to prevent in advance what will happen if Trump It may be revenge for their publications after Trump’s election victory, or to offend which avoids about half of the readers who vote for Trump. However, an independent journalist believes that the media should be independent and independent and should not support any political candidates.

Jerry Moore, a former newspaper editor and columnist who now lives in upstate New York, wrote in the Capitol Hill newspaper that a media-backed political candidate is in the primary He failed, so what should the media do next? Should I support the candidate I previously opposed? If an endorsed candidate behaves in unexpected ways, this can backfire in the media. These can lead readers to question the agency’s judgment or to question the campaign’s coverage.

Moore believes that readers understand that a media outlet has a stance on a particular subject, and this is reasonable. Writing opinion pieces allows journalists to deliver news in a unique way, and we all have a point of view.

But editors differ, said Moore, a position reached after negotiation and consensus.”

Moore believes that editorials have a special influence on readers and that political affiliations can undermine a newspaper’s independence.

“When newspapers support contested races,” Moore writes in the article, “readers usually don’t talk about the arguments for or against particular candidates—they focuses on the newspaper’s decision to make such a declaration ‘in the agreement, which does not help the publication to guide its readers in a thoughtful search of who is most suitable for a role.’

Finally, he concluded: “Newspapers would be wise to abandon this practice[de aontaidhean]and instead focus on providing voters with the relevant information they need to make good decisions. the reliability of the news they receive.”

Editor-in-Chief: Li Lin #

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