As the Washington Post faces a subscriber exodus after its controversial decision to stay neutral in the 2024 presidential election, owner Jeff Bezos was celebrating in Europe, sparking frustration among staff and observers. The policy shift, which more than 250,000 subscribers protested by canceling their accounts, came after Bezos blocked an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, a decision he made while on a luxury getaway with pop star Katy Perry.
The situation unfolded quickly: After Bezos intervened last Friday, the paper’s leadership announced that it would abandon its tradition of candidate endorsements, a move the Post’s publisher, Will Lewis, had reportedly opposed.
Meanwhile, Bezos was overseas with his fiancée Lauren Sanchez, celebrating Perry’s 40th birthday with a group that included actor Orlando Bloom, as Sanchez documented on social media.
The timing of the trip, along with images of skydiving and partying, fueled concerns about Bezos’ commitment to navigating the newspaper through one of its largest subscriber crises in years.
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Many of the Post’s readers were newly energized supporters, engaged by Harris’ campaign against Donald Trump after President Joe Biden exited the race. But with nearly 10% of subscribers canceling in a single week, the Post faces financial strain that could affect future projects, including an initiative to launch a “Third Newsroom” alongside its editorial and opinion sections.
Rival publications were quick to capitalize on the fallout. The Guardian, which affirmed its support for Harris, reported raising $1.5 million in pledges in one day. Meanwhile, The Atlantic, Vox, and others used the moment to draw disillusioned Post readers to their platforms.
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In response, Bezos published a statement defending the policy change as a stand for journalistic independence, though he acknowledged the poor timing, stating, “I wish we had made the change earlier than we did.” But for many, his defense fell short, leaving questions about his dedication to the Post’s future in the wake of the controversy.
Tags: 2024 Elections, amazon, Amazon Prime, Donald Trump, Europe, Journalism, Kamala Harris, Space Technology
THE FALLOUT FOR THE WASHINGTON POST CONTINUES FOLLOWING A HIGH-PROFILE DECISION TO NOT ENDORSE A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
THE NUMBER OF THOSE CANCELING THEIR SUBSCRIPTIONS – NOW ROUGHLY 10-PERCENT OF THE PAPER’S TOTAL.
THE UPDATED NUMBERS COME AS WE LEARN NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF OWNER JEFF BEZOS LEADING UP THE DECISION.
REPORTS SHOW BEZOS MADE THE FINAL CALL AFTER SEEING THE HARRIS ENDORSEMENT DRAFT… BREAKING A MAJOR TRADITION WITH THE PUBLICATION AND LEADING TO THREE OF THE EDITORIAL STAFF RESIGNING FOLLOWING THE DECISION. BEZOS LATER DEFENDED THE MOVE IN A PUBLISHED LETTER… STATING THAT ENDORSEMENTS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE, AND CAN POTENTIALLY DAMAGE THE PAPER’S JOURNALISTIC INDEPENDENCE.
THE OWNER’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE CRISIS BECAME ALL THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL WHEN IT WAS REVEALED THAT, RATHER THAN STAYING TO HELP MANAGE THE FALLOUT, HE WAS CELEBRATING KATY PERRY’S 40TH BIRTHDAY IN EUROPE ALONGSIDE HIS FIANCÉE LAUREN SANCHEZ. TABLOIDS PICKED UP SANCHEZ’S INSTAGRAM POSTS, SHOWING THE COUPLE ON A LUXURY GETAWAY… EVEN SKYDIVING IN AMSTERDAM WITH ORLANDO BLOOM… RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT BEZOS’ COMMITMENT TO GUIDING THE POST THROUGH THIS PIVOTAL MOMENT.
THE TIMING COULD NOT HAVE BEEN WORSE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST, WHICH HAD RECENTLY EXPERIENCED A RESURGENCE IN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PARTICULARLY FOLLOWING JOE BIDEN’S EXIT FROM THE RACE AND KAMALA HARRIS’ HEAD-TO-HEAD AGAINST DONALD TRUMP. THE SUBSCRIBER LOSSES, NOW TALLYING MORE THAN A QUARTER-MILLION, ARE PROJECTED TO CAUSE A FINANCIAL SHORTFALL. THIS, IN TURN, IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT FUTURE PROJECTS LIKE THE “THIRD NEWSROOM” INITIATIVE… AN EXPANSION THE POST WAS PLANNING TO BOLSTER ITS EDITORIAL REACH. ALREADY, THE PAPER HAS FACED ROUNDS OF CUTS AND A SIGNIFICANT TALENT DRAIN IN RECENT YEARS.
MEANWHILE, OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE SEIZED ON THE POST’S CONTROVERSY TO ATTRACT NEW READERS. THE GUARDIAN REPORTED RECEIVING NEARLY 2 MILLION DOLLARS IN PLEDGES FROM READERS IN A SINGLE DAY AFTER IT PROMOTED ITS COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING HARRIS. OUTLETS LIKE THE ATLANTIC AND VOX HAVE ALSO REACHED OUT TO FRUSTRATED POST READERS, USING THE MOMENT TO BUILD THEIR OWN SUBSCRIBER BASE.
IN RESPONSE, BEZOS HIMSELF PUBLISHED A STATEMENT DEFENDING THE CHANGE. WHILE HE ADMITTED THE TIMING WAS POOR AND ADDED THAT THE DECISION SHOULD HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED SOONER, HIS WORDS DID LITTLE TO EASE CONCERNS ABOUT THE POST’S FUTURE UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP.
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