Gannett-owned USA Today and more than 200 other chain newspapers will not endorse a presidential candidate — joining the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times in choosing to remain silent in next week’s election .
“None of the USA Today Network publications endorses the presidential or national races,” USA Today spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón told The Hill.
Antón said that while Gannett-owned publications will not endorse candidates in national races, they do have the “discretion” to endorse at a state or local level.
“Many have decided not to support individual candidates, but instead to endorse key local and state issues on the ballot that affect the community,” Antón told the Hill.
“Why are we doing this? Because we believe that the future of America is decided at the local level – one race at a time,” said Antón.
“And with more than 200 publications nationwide, our public service is to provide readers with the facts that matter and the reliable information they need to make informed decisions.”
Gannett owns newspapers in major states that include the Arizona Republic and the Detroit Free Press.
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos wrote an op-ed in his newspaper Monday defending his decision not to endorse a presidential candidate, calling it “fair” and “principled.”
Amazon’s founder pushed back against any notion that he ordered it to protect his business interests.
The decision, announced on Friday, is said to have led to tens of thousands of people canceling their subscriptions and protests by journalists with a deep history at the paper.
The Post editorial board was prepared to back Harris before publisher Will Lewis wrote instead that readers would be better off making up their own minds.
Bezos, in “a note from our owner” published Monday evening, said editorial endorsements create a perception of bias at a time when many Americans distrust the media and do nothing to tip the election scales.
“Terminating them is a principled decision and it’s the right one,” Bezos said.
Bezos wrote that he wished the decision to end presidential endorsements had been made earlier, “at a time away from the election and the excitement surrounding it. This was inadequate planning and not any deliberate strategy.”
NPR reported Monday that more than 200,000 people have canceled their subscriptions to the paper, citing “two people at the paper with knowledge of internal affairs.”
A Washington Post spokeswoman would not comment on NPR’s report.
WaPo’s decision came just days after the Los Angeles Times also said it would not endorse a presidential candidate, a decision the paper has acknowledged cost it thousands of subscribers.
By postal wire
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