443106
From: old timer, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first time in
URL: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first time in decades
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Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first time in decades BY DOMINICK MASTRANGELO - 10/25/24 12:25 PM ET The Washington Post will not be endorsing any candidate for president this year, the newspaper’s publisher announced Friday. In a note to readers, Post publisher William Lewis said the outlet would not back a candidate for president in 2024 or “in any future presidential election.” It is the first time the Post will not be making an endorsement in a presidential race in 36 years. “We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility,” Lewis wrote. “That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for.” He added that the Post’s job “is to provide through the newsroom nonpartisan news for all Americans, and thought-provoking, reported views from our opinion team to help our readers make up their own minds.” “Most of all, our job as the newspaper of the capital city of the most important country in the world is to be independent,” Lewis concluded. “And that is what we are and will be.” The Post’s decision not to endorse either Vice President Harris or former President Trump comes after a similar move at the Los Angeles Times, where owner Patrick Soon-Shiong opted not to endorse either candidate. That decision has led to a number of top editors at the LA Times resigning from the paper in protest. The Post has endorsed other candidates this cycle, including Democrat Angela Alsobrooks in her Maryland Senate race against former Gov. Larry Hogan (R). In 2020, it backed now-President Biden over Trump, and in 2016, it endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The Post’s decision was immediately criticized by famed former top Post editor Marty Baron, who called it “disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage” in a post on the social platform X. “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty,” Baron wrote. The paper is owned by Jeff Bezos, one of the richest people in the world, who hired Lewis this year to replace longtime publisher Fred Ryan. Lewis’s hiring has sparked internal backlash at the Post in connection with an alleged hacking scandal during his time working for conservative tabloids in Great Britain. |
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[443174] [443186] [443191] [443138] [443142] [443179] [443206] [443185] [443187] [443220] [443108] [443211] [443109] [443180] [443113] [443122] [443116]
443174
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: decision was made by owner, Jeff Bezos
URL: https://x.com/FenitN
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Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post: Our news side continues to report fearlessly. Even when it’s about our own bosses. |
443186
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: decision was made by owner, Jeff Bezos
| bezos and the post are getting considerable backlash on this...and a lot of canceled subscriptions from what i hear... |
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[443191]
443191
From: Redhart, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: decision was made by owner, Jeff Bezos
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They would get backlash no matter what. If endorsing Trump, there would be backlash. If endorsing Harris, maga backlash (as well as the threat of being on the enemy list of Trump should he win, and be death threats, legal suits and even shut down if Trump carries out those threats). Frankly, Bezos is probably already on Trump's enemy list. I think he should have shown a spine. You know, if you look at history..it tells us something. One of the first things Hitler did after he came to power..besides eleminate all non-followers in government, was a state take over of business. Many of the german mogles lost their bets, lost control of their businesses and finances. Now, Russians reward their "oligarchs" for loyalty..but again, there is a price. They must do as the state orders when asked for "favors". They don't truly control their businesses, either..but at least are allowed to be puppet owners of them as long as they don't piss off Putin, and Putin gets his piece. which totalitarian model would Trump use? In my opinion, corporations are playing with big fire if they back trump. They are likely to lose control either way. Elon may benefit, but not if he balks later at "favors" asked that he does not agree with. Maybe Elon will foster his own coup at that time? Maybe he'll cowtow? Maybe he'll have all his businesses confiscated and arrested for treason (with Trump as the beneficiary)? These corps are insane for throwing in with Trump is history is any guide. They probably studied finacial theory more than history, and it may be to their detriment (and all of ours). |
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443138
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first...
URL: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4953811-marty-baron-post-endorsement-cowardice/
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billionaires afraid to come out against lardass... Marty Baron on Post endorsement choice: ‘This is cowardice’ by Ashleigh Fields - 10/25/24 2:39 PM ET Marty Baron, the former executive editor for The Washington Post, said it is “cowardice” for the publication not to endorse a presidential candidate in this year’s election. “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty,” Baron wrote in a post on the social platform X. In a stark contrast to 36 years of tradition, the Post said it will not back presidential candidates this year or at any time in the future. “@realdonaldtrump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner @jeffbezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage,” Baron fumed. Post reporters said an editorial was drafted in support of Vice President Harris but was never approved for release. Ultimately, the decision not to endorse a candidate was made by Bezos, who acquired the outlet in 2013 and has restructured the culture and overall landscape, causing concern among employees with editor layoffs and shuffled appointments. However, the paper’s political coverage moved forward rampantly, pushing out endorsements and oppositions accordingly. In 2016, the editorial board warned against former President Trump’s White House bid, labeling him as a “unique and present danger.” Eight years later, their choice to stay silent amid the former president’s third presidential campaign against Vice President Harris is sounding alarms from former employees and current journalists alike. “The message from our chief executive, Will Lewis — not from the Editorial Board itself — makes us concerned that management interfered with the work of our members in Editorial,” the Washington Post Guild said in the statement on X. The group noted a sharp decline in subscriptions due to the lack of endorsement days before the November election. “We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers,” the Guild said. “This decision undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers’ trust, not losing it.” |
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[443142] [443179] [443206] [443185] [443187] [443220]
443142
From: ao, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first...
| Yep Bezos can't take the chance Trump might not stroke his rocket |
443179
From: Redhart, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first...
| LOL interesting way to put it, but okay. |
443206
From: ao, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first...
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Jeff is angling to be competitive with Elon.. whoever wins the golden prize.. the contract to supply martian outposts with oxygen.. becomes a de facto god with power over all other living things.. If Jeff disses the Don and the Don wins the election, Jeff might as well give away Amazon.. it's all for naught in the race to control space. ie that phallic rocket of his won't be much more than a merry-go-round without uncle's help.. and omg if he has to make up for the gains Elon is gathering in Trump.. |
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443185
From: mitra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first...
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I think he's talking about (please, God, no) President Trusk. |
443187
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first...
| also known as feelon? |
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[443220]
443220
From: mitra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Washington Post not endorsing presidential candidate for first...
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Very good! Has a ring to it. |
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443108
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: LA Times Owner Denies Vetoing Presidential Endorsement: ‘The Editorial
URL: https://www.thewrap.com/la-times-owner-patrick-soon-shiong-denies-harris-veto/
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LA Times Owner Denies Vetoing Presidential Endorsement: ‘The Editorial Board Chose to Stay Silent’ Patrick Soon-Shiong responds as editorial page editor Mariel Garza resigned after the decision October 23, 2024 Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong denied vetoing the editorial board’s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, saying that the board “chose to remain silent and I accepted their decision.” Editorial page editor Mariel Garza resigned on Wednesday over the newspaper’s lack of an endorsement, saying, “The non-endorsement undermines the integrity of the editorial board and every single endorsement we make.” She said in her resignation letter obtained by TheWrap that Soon- Shiong vetoed the editorial board’s decision to endorse Harris, to which the paper’s owner responded directly Wednesday evening. “So many comments about the L.A. Times editorial board not providing a presidential endorsement this year. Let me clarify how this decision came about,” he wrote on X, viewable in full below. “The editorial board was provided the opportunity to draft a factual analysis of all the positive and negative policies by each candidate during their tenures at the White House, and how these policies affected the nation.” “In addition, the board was asked to provide their understanding of the policies and plans enunciated by the candidates during this campaign and its potential effect on the nation in the next four years,” Soon-Shiong continued. “In this way, with this clear and non-partisan information side-by-side, our readers could decide who would be worthy of being president for the next four years.” He concluded, “Instead of adopting this path as suggested, the editorial board chose to remain silent and I accepted their decision. Please vote.” In turn, Garza responded to TheWrap exclusively, saying, “We pitched an endorsement and were not allowed to write one.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk responded to Soon-Shiong’s Twitter statement, simply, “Makes sense.” Earlier on Wednesday, Garza submitted her resignation to executive editor Terry Tang, writing in part: “The non-endorsement undermines the integrity of the editorial board and every single endorsement we make, down to school board races. People will justifiably wonder if each endorsement was a decision made by a group of journalists after extensive research and discussion, or through decree by the owner. “In these dangerous times, staying silent isn’t just indifference, it is complicity,” she continued. “I’m standing up by stepping down from the editorial board. Please accept this as my formal resignation, effective immediately.” In addition to the public outcry over the decision, internal Slack conversations viewed by TheWrap echoed the sentiment that the paper had “abandoned that responsibility” of endorsing a candidate, as one L.A. Times newsroom journalist put it. Sharon Waxman contributed to this reporting. |
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443211
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Paper Is Refusing to “Endorse a Candidate Overseeing a War on Children
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If true, I support that decision 100% but the reason should have been publicized by the editorial board or owner, imo Daughter of Los Angeles Times’ Owner Says Paper Is Refusing to “Endorse a Candidate Overseeing a War on Children” Patrick Soon-Shiong's outspoken daughter, Nika, posted on X on Friday that "genocide is a line in the sand." BY KATIE KILKENNY Plus Icon OCTOBER 25, 2024 The Los Angeles Times Building in El Segundo, California on March 22, 2021. The Los Angeles Times building in El Segundo, California. MICHAEL BUCKNER/PENSKE MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options The daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is weighing in on the controversy that has erupted around the paper’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in 2024, saying that “for me, genocide is a line in the sand.” In a thread of social media posts on Thursday, Nika Soon-Shiong attributed the decision to an opposition to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’ position on the war on Gaza. She wrote that her father, a South African transplant surgeon, had worked as an emergency surgeon at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto during apartheid. “For my family, Apartheid is not a vague concept.” Maintaining that the decision to endorse was one made by the Los Angeles Times editorial board, Nika added, “This is not a vote for Donald Trump. This is a refusal to ENDORSE a candidate that is overseeing a war on children.” 00:00 02:40 Read More Related Stories Ian Harding, Lindsay Lohan and Jon Rudnitsky in Netflix's 'Our Little Secret.' MOVIES Lindsay Lohan Strikes a Holiday Deal With Her Ex in Netflix's 'Our Little Secret' Trailer Hayley Atwell as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft TV 'Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft' Renewed at Netflix She continued, “I’m proud of the LA Times’ decision just as I am certain there is no such thing as children of darkness. There is no such thing as human animals.” The posts arrive as the Times faces an internal and external firestorm over its decision not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 election. Three editorial board members have resigned since the decision was made public, with one, Mariel Garza, saying in an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review that owner Soon-Shiong had made his wish not to endorse clear through a message conveyed by Times executive editor Terry Tang. Previously, Garza been drafting an outline of an editorial that would announce an endorsement of Harris, she said. ADVERTISEMENT Semafor has additionally reported that Soon-Shiong blocked the Times editorial board from endorsing a candidate even though it was preparing to. While some outlets have suggested that Soon-Shiong may have pushed for a nonendorsement in order to curry favor with former President Donald Trump in the event he is re-elected, two well-placed sources at the Times suggest that the real reason is antipathy toward Harris for her and the Biden administration’s stance on Israel. “They’ve both been very critical of the administration and its support for Israel, and Nika has been especially vociferous about that,” says one source. “She has regularly accused Israel of genocide and condemned the administration for their support. Just look at her Twitter feed — she has a Palestinian flag in her bio. Patrick is less vocal, but he agrees with her. I think there’s no question that their refusal to endorse Kamala stems from that.” The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the Los Angeles Times for comment. In July, a Times photo caption inserted in a story about a Los Angeles City Council motion to fund additional security for synagogues and Jewish places of worship sparked outrage from the Jewish community and calls to boycott the paper. The Soon-Shiong family has faced claims in the past that they have attempted to intervene in the paper’s coverage. After executive editor Kevin Merida exited in January, THR reported that one recent conflict between Merida and the Soon-Shiong family occurred when more than three dozen Times reporters “signed a Nov. 9 statement severely critical of Israel’s invasion of Gaza but barely mentioning the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel launched from the Hamas-controlled territory.” Under pressure from senior editors, Merida restricted those who signed the statement from covering the war in Gaza for 90 days. Nika has also faced reports that she has influenced the paper’s editorial work despite not having an official role at the Times. THR has reported that during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Nika fought with Times leadership over the use of the term “looting” and criticized Times staff writers on Twitter. Politico has reported that in 2020, Nika appeared in staff meetings that tackled the issue of where the paper had gone wrong in covering race issues and that when she became a West Hollywood public safety commissioner, she pitched stories about the commission and “complained about headlines.” At the time, Soon-Shiong told Politico that she served as an adviser to the paper but said she did not control editorial decisions or have a “formal role.” |
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443109
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: LA Times Editor Quits in Protest Over Owner’s Demands for No POTUS ...
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LA Times Editor Quits in Protest Over Owner’s Demands for No POTUS Endorsement “In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up,” said former editorial editor Mariel Garza. By Chris Walker , TRUTHOUT Published October 24, 2024 In response to the owner of the Los Angeles Times decreeing that the paper would not be endorsing a candidate in this year’s presidential race, Mariel Garza, the editor of editorials for the Times, has resigned from her position. Health tech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the Times in 2018, told staff at the paper on October 11 that, while the editorial board could issue endorsements in lower ballot races, it could not endorse either Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or Republican candidate Donald Trump in the presidential race, marking the first time the paper hasn’t made a presidential endorsement since 2004. The paper has backed Democratic candidates in every presidential election since that time. In response to that order, Mariel Garza, who oversees the editorial board and the opinion section for the paper, resigned from her role in protest. “I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent. In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up,” Garza said in a phone conversation with Sewell Chan of the Columbia Journalism Review. Within her resignation letter, Garza said that the paper was planning to endorse Harris and that it was difficult to justify not releasing an endorsement when the paper’s editorial board had made the case against a second Trump term in previous commentaries. “How could we spend eight years railing against Trump and the danger his leadership poses to the country and then fail to endorse the perfectly decent Democrat challenger — who we previously endorsed for the U.S. Senate?” Garza wondered. She added: The non-endorsement undermines the integrity of the editorial board and every single endorsement we make, down to school board races. People will justifiably wonder if each endorsement was a decision made by a group of journalists after extensive research and discussion, or through decree by the owner. In her conversation with Chan, Garza explained that it was important for the paper to outline its stance, even if readers could presume their position. “This is a point in time where you speak your conscience no matter what,” Garza said. After Garza’s resignation, Soon-Shiong posted on social media that he had invited the board to “draft a factual analysis of all the POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE policies by EACH candidate during their tenures at the White House, and how these policies affected the nation.” He claimed that he ultimately accepted the board’s decision not to do so. Garza rejected that notion, pointing out: “What he outlines in that tweet is not an endorsement, or even an editorial.” Garza’s fears about the non-endorsement undermining the Times’s previous statements on Trump came to fruition later this week, when the Trump campaign seized on the paper’s refusal to issue a statement to falsely suggest they had qualms endorsing Harris. “In Kamala’s own home state, the Los Angeles Times — the state’s largest newspaper — has declined to endorse the Harris-Walz ticket, despite endorsing the Democrat nominees in every election for decades,” the campaign bragged, purporting that “even her fellow Californians know she’s not up for the job.” (In reality, polling data shows that Harris is leading Trump in the state by a huge margin — an aggregate of polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight, for example, shows her ahead of him by nearly 24 points.) Soon-Shiong’s demand that the Times refrain from issuing a presidential endorsement has prompted many observers to question whether he hopes to capitalize on either candidate’s win. Indeed, Soon-Shiong has worked with the Biden administration on its cancer initiative and discussed the future of health care with Trump when he won the election in 2016. Soon-Shiong’s friendship with fellow billionaire (and Trump megadonor) Elon Musk has also called his motives into question. “He thinks that Trump is going to win, and he doesn’t need to make an enemy,” said one former reporter, in comments to The Wrap about Garza’s resignation. Notably, while Soon-Shiong promotes himself as a philanthropist, a Politico analysis in 2017 found that his supposed philanthropy often benefits his own companies. Indeed, a majority of the grants from Soon-Shiong’s organization were awarded to companies or entities that he himself owned, the report pointed out. “The abuse is taking money that is supposed to be irrevocably dedicated to charitable purposes … and using it for other, self-benefiting purposes,” Lloyd Mayer, a Notre Dame law professor, told Politico at the time." |
443180
From: Redhart, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: LA Times Editor Quits in Protest Over Owner’s Demands for No...
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What is a shame is seeing that Trump's "threats" to journalists and destruction of the first amendment, have taken root in various media outlets. One more casualty of just the "threat" of fascism becoming the power. |
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443113
From: ao, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: LA Times Editor Quits in Protest Over Owner’s Demands for No...
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Yep, imagine if nose holders all over the country had such moral fortitude.. maybe respectable people putting it all on the line as they are will help the weaker amongst us grow a spine. |
443122
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: LA Times Editor Quits in Protest Over Owner’s Demands for No...
| what does that even mean? |
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443116
From: mitra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: LA Times Editor Quits in Protest Over Owner’s Demands for No...
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Drop that mike!!! |
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