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250,000
The Washington Post has now had more than 250,000 cancellations — approximately 10% of all paid circulation — since the newspaper made its decision to not endorse in the presidential race, NPR reports. The Guardian: “The numbers are based on the number of cancellation emails that have been sent out, according to a source at the paper, though the subscriber dashboard is no longer viewable to employees.”
1,600
The Washington Post registered more than 1600 cancellations of digital subscriptions in the first three hours of news the newspaper would not endorse a candidate in the presidential election, NPR reports.
“If there ever were an incident that stands for the proposition that democracy, and journalism, cannot rest on the shoulders of oligarchs, this is it. Bezos did a lot of good for the Post when he first took it over, but the consent of the billionaire is not a stable structure for newspapers or magazines in an authoritarian era. Eventually, they can be counted upon to protect themselves, and that may sometimes mean not speaking the truth—either by lying or, as here, just by not speaking at all.”
“This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty. Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Jeff Bezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”
— Former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron, on X, on the newspaper’s decision to not endorse in the election.