Author Stephen King announced on Friday that he canceled his subscription to The Washington Post as the newspaper faces backlash for declining to endorse a presidential candidate this election.
In an op-ed published Friday morning, the Post’s chief executive and publisher William Lewis wrote that the paper would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris nor former President Donald Trump this election. The paper has regulaly endorsed presidential candidates since 1976, when it backed former President Jimmy Carter.
King, a frequent critic of Trump, posted to X (formerly Twitter) later in the day that “[a]fter 5 years, I have canceled my subscription to the Washington Post.” He did not provide a reason for the decision, but did reshare a separate post on Friday that criticized the Post’s decision to not endorse a political candidate.
Several supporters of Harris have spoken out since Lewis’ op-ed, which stated that the paper was “returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates” and would not make endorsements in future elections as well. He added in the editorial that the job of the Post was 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.”
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A few hours after Lewis’ op-ed was published, the Post reported on the decision, and said that the paper’s editorial page staffers had “drafted” an endorsement of Harris but was blocked from publishing it, according to two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The same sources said that the decision to not publish Harris’ endorsement “was made by The Post’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,” according to the report.
Bezos, a billionaire, purchased the Post in August 2013. Trump was repeatedly critical of the paper during his tenure in the White House, and the Post editorial board endorsed Democratic candidates over Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Kathy Baird, the Post’s chief communications officer, said in a statement published by the paper, “This was a Washington Post decision to not endorse, and I would refer you to the publisher’s statement in full.”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Post directed Newsweek to Baird’s statement.
Newsweek reached out to Amazon’s press team via email as well seeking comment from Bezos.
Former executive editor of the Post, Martin Baron, ripped the newspaper in a post to X on Friday, writing that the decision to not endorse a presidential candidate was “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.” The Washington Post Guild also released a statement saying that it was “deeply concerned” with the decision, adding that within two hours of Lewis’ op-ed, “we are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers.”
Film director Paul Feig also criticized the Post on Friday, writing to X, “Great, another billionaire protecting his own self-interest instead of the country’s. Nice knowing you, @washingtonpost. Subscription canceled.”
Keith Boykin, a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, also posted to X, “I have subscribed to the Washington Post since 1993, but I just canceled my subscription today because of the paper’s abdication of duty to endorse a candidate in the most consequential election of my lifetime. Good riddance.”
The Post is the second major U.S. newspaper in recent days to not endorse a presidential candidate. The Los Angeles Times announced earlier this week that it would also not be making an endorsement. People familiar with the matter have said that the paper’s editorial board was reportedly blocked by its owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, a billionaire who has owned the Los Angeles Times since 2018.
The Los Angeles Times’ editorial editor Mariel Garza resigned following the paper’s decision to withhold an endorsement for Harris. Two more editorial board members–Karin Klein and Robert Greene—have also stepped down this week.
Harris has been endorsed by the editorial boards of The New York Times and The Boston Globe. Trump was backed by the New York Post on Friday.
