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The Mast-Head: Audience of One

Wed, 10/30/2024 - 13:03

Ten percent of The Washington Post's 2.5 million subscribers have canceled since the newspaper's owner blocked the editorial board's endorsement of Kamala Harris for president. It might actually be worse; the newspaper cut off its work force's access to its subscriber data. People inside and outside The Post blasted what they saw as capitulation in advance to the autocracy of a possible second Trump presidency.

Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and top executive, said in a defensive op-ed that his decision was "principled" and would counter a widely held perception of bias in the media. Mr. Bezos's plug-pulling did the opposite. If anything, the principle in play was C.Y.A. (short for covering your ass). Amazon sued the Department of Defense in 2019 after the company lost a $10 billion Pentagon cloud computing contract. The lawsuit argued that then-President Donald Trump's deep dislike for Mr. Bezos and The Post's reporting swayed the decision.

I have a problem with genius jerks who have a great idea in a garage somewhere and then see themselves as gods. Just because Mr. Bezos founded the world's largest online retailer does not make him an expert in all things.  

Likewise, Elon Musk, the Tesla billionaire who got his start in tech while working illegally in the United States while on a limited student visa, is another one. His crazy idea to cut $2 trillion — about a third of spending — from the federal budget would bring on a deep recession and bankrupt necessary government functions.

So why do the billionaires do it? I believe they are seduced by the chance to become world-straddling mega-oligarchs who would eclipse Vladimir Putin's cronies. They are, to borrow a phrase, reaching out to an audience of one — Mr. Trump.

Another rich guy, Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of The Los Angeles Times, made his money from an effective cancer drug. That's great. But that also does not make him prescient in all things, especially the fundamental relationship between newspapers and democracy. No matter. Shortly after The Post news broke, he also blocked his paper from making a Harris endorsement. Like Mr. Bezos, the L.A. Times owner's excuse was difficult to swallow since The Post and Los Angeles Times both endorsed specific congressional candidates this year. Turns out that Mr. Soon-Shiong had unsuccessfully lobbied for a post in the Trump administration during 2017.

The Star and other locally owned newspapers intend to keep making endorsements as long as we are still publishing. Newspapers have unparalleled proximity to government and the experience necessary to make reasoned recommendations. Like reporting on school board meetings and zoning matters, helping readers evaluate the candidates and proposals is also a fundamental obligation of the press.

 

 

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