Washington

Jeff Bezos reveals why Washington Post didn’t endorse a 2024 candidate

Published

1 year ago

October 28, 2024

Jeff Bezos reveals why Washington Post didn’t endorse a 2024 candidate

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, said in an op-ed published Monday that his newspaper did not endorse a political candidate in the 2024 election to help build trust with its readers.

Bezos said in his own editorial that the decision to not endorse a candidate was due to the dip in public trust in journalists and the media, adding that while newsrooms “must be accurate,” “we must be believed to be accurate.”

“Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election,” Bezos wrote. “No undecided voters in Pennsylvania are going to say, ‘I’m going with Newspaper A’s endorsement.’ None. What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias.”

“Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one,” he added.

The editorial comes a few days after the Post’s publisher, William Lewis, wrote an op-ed announcing that the paper would not be endorsing either Vice President Kamala Harris nor former President Donald Trump in the 2024 race.

Lewis said the decision was a return “to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates” and added that the paper would not be endorsing any candidates moving forward.

The decision sparked widespread backlash, including from the Post’s former executive editor, who described the choice as “cowardice,” “disturbing” and “spinelessness.”

An article was published by the Post hours after Lewis’ op-ed, saying that according to people familiar with the discussions, the paper’s editorial board was prepared to endorse Harris, but that Bezos—who has owned the paper since 2013—blocked it from going out.

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, addresses the Economic Club of New York on October 27, 2016, in New York City. Bezos revealed in an op-ed on Monday…

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Bezos also dispelled accusations that either candidate “was consulted or informed at any level” about the Post’s decisions. Suspicions arose last week after it was reported that David Limp, the CEO of Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, met with Trump in Austin, Texas, on Friday, the same day the paper announced it would not endorse a candidate.

“I sighed when I found out, because I knew it would provide ammunition to those who would like to frame this as anything other than a principled decision,” Bezos wrote of Trump and Limp’s meeting. “But the fact is, I didn’t know about the meeting beforehand. Even Limp didn’t know about it in advance; the meeting was scheduled quickly that morning.”

The Post’s outgoing editor-at-large, Robert Kagan, resigned from his position on Friday, and told The Daily Beast that Trump and Limp’s meeting was “proof of a backroom deal.” Twenty-one columnists at the Post have also signed a dissenting op-ed saying that it was “a terrible mistake” by the paper to not endorse a presidential candidate.

“Trump waited to make sure that Bezos did what he said he was going to do, and then met with the Blue Origin people,” Kagan said. “Which tells us that there was an actual deal made, meaning that Bezos communicated, or through his people, communicated directly with Trump, and they set up this quid pro quo.”

Bezos concluded in his op-ed, “While I do not and will not push my personal interest, I will also not allow this paper to stay on autopilot and fade into irrelevance—overtaken by unresearched podcasts and social media barbs—not without a fight … Now more than ever the world needs a credible, trusted, independent voice, and where better for that voice to originate than the capital city of the most important country in the world?”

The op-ed was praised by a handful of commentators over social media Monday evening. Elon Musk, billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, posted to his platform X, formerly Twitter, “kudos to @JeffBezos.”

Others raised even further criticisms against Bezos. Journalist and author David Simon—best known for his iconic HBO crime drama The Wire—posted to X that after reading Monday’s op-ed, he had decided to cancel his subscription to the Post.

“I wasn’t going to join 200,000 others and cancel my subscription because doing so won’t hurt Bezos—he paid more for his yachts than his newspaper—and, yes, the Post newsroom where good people and some friends still labor, continues providing meaningful journalism,” Simon wrote Monday. “But, my god, this man’s insipid defense of his own transparent cowardice is provoking.”

Simon continued that if “this technobrat oligarch ever releases his grip on what needs to be an independent newsroom and editorial board, indifferent to the financial positions of its publisher, then I’ll return,” adding that Bezos’ decision was “abuse of a public trust.”

NPR reported on Monday that since Friday’s decision to not endorse a candidate, over 200,000 people had canceled their subscription to the Post, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Newsweek sent an email to the Post’s press relations team for further comment on Monday.

The Post has endorsed a presidential candidate in nearly every election since 1976, when it backed former President Jimmy Carter, although the paper declined to endorse a candidate in the 1988 election. It has always backed Democratic candidates, including during Trump’s two previous presidential runs in 2016 and 2020.

The Los Angeles Times also announced last week that it would not be endorsing a candidate this election after its billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, blocked the paper’s editorial board from publishing its drafted endorsement of Harris.

The decision led to the Times’ editorials editor, Mariel Garza, to resign from her post. Two additional members of the paper’s editorial board resigned a day after Garza: Robert Greene and Karin Klein.

Soon-Shiong’s daughter said in a series of posts to social media last week that she was a part of her father’s decision to block Harris’ endorsement and blamed it on Israel’s “genocide” of Palestinians. The vice president has faced immense criticism from progressives over White House policies toward Israel. The backlash could threaten Harris’ chances for victory in November, with some voters in key swing states like Michigan planning to vote third party in protest.

Update 10/28/24, 10:14 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.

Source link

Click to comment

Washington

Washington holds on to win OT thriller 3-2 against NC State in College Cup Final

Published

4 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Washington holds on to win OT thriller 3-2 against NC State in College Cup Final

NC State (16-2-4)

NC State secured a 2-1 victory over Saint Louis on Saturday, weathering a late Billiken rally to hold onto the win. After dominating the middle portion of the match, the Wolfpack survived a tense final 10 minutes following a successful Saint Louis penalty conversion.

The Wolfpack offense broke through in the 69th minute when Donavan Phillip scored off a clinical sequence involving Isaac Heffess and Calem Tommy and ending in a perfectly placed header. Taig Healy quickly doubled the advantage at the 72:04 mark, burying another header assisted by Riley Moloney to put NC State up 2-0.

Saint Louis found a lifeline in the 80th minute. Following a foul in the box by NC State’s Justin McLean, Quinten Blair stepped to the spot and converted the penalty kick to cut the deficit to one.

Defensively, both goalkeepers remained busy. NC State’s Logan Erb made two crucial saves, including a stop on Jack DiMaria in the 85th minute to prevent an equalizer. Saint Louis’ Jeremi Abonnel finished with four saves, notably denying Ibrahim Conde and Frankie DeFrancesco in quick succession to keep the Billikens within striking distance early in the second half.

Washington (15-6-2)

Behind a dominant multi-point performance from Charlie Kosakoff, Washington defeated Furman 3-1 in the semis to advance to the national championship. The Huskies controlled the tempo from the opening whistle, outshooting the Paladins and consistently testing the frame.

Washington’s offense ignited late in the first half. Zach Ramsey opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, converting a pass from Alex Hall. Kosakoff, who was a constant threat throughout the match, doubled the lead in the 40th minute with an unassisted strike to give the Huskies a 2-0 cushion at the break.

Despite a more aggressive Furman side in the second half, Washington put the game away in the 86th minute. Asher Hestad, appearing as a late substitute, found the back of the net off a surgical assist from Kosakoff. Furman managed to spoil the shutout just over a minute later when Luke Hutzell scored off a double assist from Braden Dunham and Connor Dunnigan, but the Paladins could not find a path to a comeback.

Furman goalkeeper Ivan Horvat delivered a heroic performance in defeat, recording eight saves to keep the score respectable. His work was highlighted by a string of four saves in the second half against a relentless Washington counter-attack. Washington’s Jadon Bowton earned the win, making one key save on a Wilfer Bustamante attempt late in the first half that could have switched the momentum.

Source link

Washington

Washington Spirit Names Kim Bolt Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer

Published

16 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Washington Spirit Names Kim Bolt Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer

Bolt transitions into role after driving impact as Fractional CMO earlier this season

Washington, D.C. (12/15/2025) – The Washington Spirit today announced the appointment of Kim Bolt as Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, a newly created executive role that reflects the club’s continued evolution into a high-performance, growth-oriented organization.

Bolt transitions into the role after joining the Spirit earlier this season as Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, where she played a key role in strengthening the club’s marketing strategy, analytics foundation and demand-generation efforts during a pivotal stretch of the year.

In her expanded role, Bolt will oversee Marketing, Communications, Brand, Strategy and Analytics, with a mandate to build a modern, data-driven commercial engine that accelerates fan growth, deepens engagement, elevates the Spirit’s brand and supports the club’s long-term ambitions on and off the pitch.

With more than 20 years of marketing and strategy leadership across technology, fitness and sports, Bolt brings deep experience scaling mission-driven brands. Her career includes senior leadership roles at Google, Lyft, Under Armour and Disney, as well as serving as Chief Marketing Officer of the Washington Nationals. An expert in marketing technology centered around fan data, Bolt has also advised League One Volleyball and served as Fractional CMO for OnDeck Partners, an Avenue Sports Fund portfolio company focused on minor league baseball.

“As we evolve from a team that wins into an organization built for sustained excellence, Kim’s experience and mindset are exactly what we need,” said Kim Stone, CEO of the Washington Spirit. “She understands this market, this moment and the scale of the opportunity in front of us. Her global brand experience, strategic rigor and early impact with our organization strengthen the foundation we’re building and position us for long-term, sustainable growth.”

A former youth soccer player, Bolt was drawn to the sports industry by her belief in its unique ability to create emotional connection and lifelong memories, a passion shaped early by her family’s love of the game. Throughout her career, Bolt has championed a leadership style grounded in empathy, resilience and accountability. She is committed to supporting women in sports and business and believes high performance and personal balance can, and should, coexist.

“The first time my daughters came to a Spirit match, they memorized the roster and their eyes lit up when they saw a player who looked like them,” said Bolt. “That was the moment I knew I wanted to be part of this organization. Having worked closely with the team this season, I’ve seen firsthand the ambition, the talent and the opportunity ahead. I’m honored to step into this role and help build a brand and growth engine that matches the excellence we’re striving for on the field.”

Bolt resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, three children and two dogs. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as well as a master’s degree in Communications and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cornell University. As the Spirit’s first Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, Bolt will lead the club through the offseason and into the 2026 season, helping shape the next chapter of the organization’s growth.

About The Washington Spirit

The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012, and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Source link