The American newspaper The Washington Post (WP) has lost more than 200,000 subscribers, and three more members of its editorial board have resigned. This happened after the newspaper decided not to support any candidate in the US presidential election.
This was reported by WP and National Public Radio.
According to National Public Radio, the mass cancellation of WP subscriptions has already reached about 8% of the newspaper’s paid circulation, which has 2.5 million readers.
The newspaper’s CEO, William Lewis, had previously stated that the WP would not endorse any possible heads of state in the November 5 or future presidential elections. He called it “a return to their roots.”
The periodical’s owner, Jeff Bezos, explained in an official statement that they wanted to remain unbiased by taking such steps. He expressed the opinion that supporting a politician on the eve of the vote does not affect the race. Instead, it could allegedly shake the credibility of the media.
Three employees left the editorial board because of management’s decision. The exact number of people resigned from the Los Angeles Times board in protest. Two dozen WP columnists published an article calling the new rules a “terrible mistake.”
“This is an abandonment of the core editorial beliefs of the newspaper we love. An independent newspaper may someday refuse to support the president. But this is not the case when one of the candidates advocates positions that directly threaten media freedom and the values of the Constitution,” the authors wrote, referring to Donald Trump.