Washington Post owner defends decision not to endorse presidential candidate

WASHINGTON

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos on Monday defended the newspaper’s decision not to endorse a candidate in the upcoming presidential election.

"What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one," Bezos wrote in an op-ed.

"I would also like to be clear that no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here. Neither campaign nor candidate was consulted or informed at any level or in any way about this decision. It was made entirely internally," he added.

His remarks came after three members of the Post’s editorial board resigned over the decision not to endorse Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and thousands of readers canceled their subscriptions to the newspaper.

According to a report by National Public Radio (NPR), the Post has lost more than 200,000 digital subscribers since last week's announcement by publisher Will Lewis not to endorse any candidate.

"I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it. That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy," Bezos said.