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Jeff Bezos / Washington Post:
Jeff Bezos says presidential endorsements “create a perception of bias” and WaPo ending them is a “principled decision”, but wishes the change was made earlier — The credibility gap can be bridged by independence. — Jeff Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Mediaite, The Guardian, The Hill, Fox News, Variety, CNN, Benzinga, Business Insider, Raw Story, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, Daily Press, HotAir, RedState, @benjamintoff, @hannahgais, @etzioni, @cherylejackson, @peterbakernyt, Axios, DNyuz, Daily Caller News Foundation, NBC News, Twitchy, Lawyers, Guns & Money, @vwpickard, @jimlaporta, @carolleonnig, @emily_hoeven, @jhweissmann, @_sandywest, @matthewstoller, @brianstelter, @jragazzo, @a_mendelson, @randolphduke7, @matthewboedy, @neilweinberg44, @stevemullis, @bradbaumn, @joshrudes, @jbillinson@threads.net, @jason_kint, @jason_kint, Deadline, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, CNBC, @matthewstoller, @ktmboyle, @sriramk, @aodespair, @dick_nixon, @ericnewcomer, @jamesrbuk, @jyarow, @clarajeffery, DNyuz, @conorsen, @sarafischer, @farhip, @benmullin, @michaelbishop.me, @bcmerchant, @corbinbolies, @ruthbenghiat, @jamesrbuk, @tim@phire.place, @adrianweckler, @jamesrbuk, @garymarcus, @ernie@writing.exchange, @papapishu, @dylanbyers, @tysonbrody, @mattgertz, @bcmerchant, Politico, @ike_saul, Daring Fireball, Just Jared and Matt Pearce
Discussion:
The Wrap: Washington Post's TikTok Team Head Roasts Jeff Bezos - on TikTok - Over Axed Kamala Harris Endorsement | Video
Michael Luciano / Mediaite: Jeff Bezos Writes Rare Op-Ed Defending Washington Post Non-Endorsement Amid Subscriber Exodus
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Bezos breaks silence, defends move to drop Washington Post presidential endorsements
Fox News: Jeff Bezos addresses Washington Post endorsement fiasco, cites distrust in media led to ‘principled decision’
Todd Spangler / Variety: Amid Backlash, Jeff Bezos Defends Ending Washington Post Presidential Endorsements: They ‘Create a Perception of Bias’
Jon Passantino / CNN: Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post non-endorsement after subscribers flee and staffers resign
Ananya Gairola / Benzinga: Jeff Bezos Says This Is Mainstream Media's Biggest Problem After Washington Post Ends Endorsement For Presidential Candidates — How He Plans To Fix It
Kelsey Vlamis / Business Insider: Jeff Bezos speaks on WaPo drama: We have to ‘increase our credibility’
Daniel Hampton / Raw Story: ‘Wish we had made the change earlier’: Bezos doubles down on nixing endorsements
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor@mastodon.social: Jeff Bezos can't hide his betrayal of trust behind pious words like these. However much he says that is true here — and much of it is — he's avoiding the real issues. — Not least is a total lack of transparency about what was promised in the conversation his space company henchmen had with Trump on the very day Bezos ordered his editorial page editor to kill the Harris endorsement. …
Daily Press: Owner Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post's decision not to endorse as the right, ‘principled’ one
Bob Hoge / RedState: Jeff Bezos Weighs in on WaPo Endorsement Drama: ‘Our Profession Is Now the Least Trusted of All’
Benjamin Toff / @benjamintoff: As someone who has spent a lot of time studying the erosion of the public's trust in news, I'd like to suggest to the @WashPost's billionaire owner that he rethink his strategy of dressing up his editorial interference as a (sudden) matter of principle. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Hannah Gais / @hannahgais: Translation: I could've breached editorial independence those other times, but I only did it this once. But it's okay, because it was so principled. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]
Oren Etzioni / @etzioni: Much as I don't like the decision, this *is* worth reading in full. I don't get why the endorsement can't be viewed as part of the opinion section, which is separate from news. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Cheryle Jackson / @cherylejackson: If the Post's decision to not endorse for prez was impartial, why make that change a week before the election & after the endorsement was written. Of all the decades of years to not endorse - on the eve of the 1st Black woman nominee becoming Prez is foul. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Peter Baker / @peterbakernyt: Thinking of Don Graham and Kay Graham. So proud to have worked for them. Like the Sulzbergers, they exemplified the best in newspaper publishers. They understood what journalism is all about and supported it even at the sacrifice of their own interests. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Rebecca Falconer / Axios: Bezos breaks his silence on ending WaPo endorsements
Mariane Angela / Daily Caller News Foundation: 'Americans Don't Trust The News Media': Bezos Speaks Out After WaPo Chose Not To Endorse Harris
Daniel Arkin / NBC News: Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post's decision to stop presidential endorsements days before election
Doug P. / Twitchy: WaPo Owner's 'People Don't Trust the Media' Reality Check Is GUARANTEED to Trigger Lib Journo-Land
Victor Pickard / @vwpickard: Small silver lining to WaPo episode: It shatters whatever illusion we might have that we could trust billionaires to rescue journalism. Such abuse of power underscores the dangerous political economy of media oligarchy, recenters class politics & highlights need for alternatives.
Jim LaPorta / @jimlaporta: Setting aside the issue of WaPo editorial, it's hard to square this graf: “I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it.” Reminder: Mr. Bezos has owned the @washingtonpost for 11 years https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Carol Leonnig / @carolleonnig: NEW @JeffBezos writes that his decision to end @washingtonpost prez endorsements was based solely on principle — and no quid pro quo or financial stake . https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]
Emily Hoeven / @emily_hoeven: did Jeff Bezos just refer to journalists as “we” and journalism as “our profession”? in other words, did he call himself a journalist? 😵💫🥴 https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jordan Weissmann / @jhweissmann: This is the sort of explanation that might have been compelling in January of 2024, but not Oct. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Sandy West / @_sandywest: Had he written this months ago, it might have mattered. This entire situation has been so incredibly mishandled - and his staff, especially the journalists, are paying the price. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: The comments on Jeff Bezos's oped are BRUTAL. “So you clearly reasoned this decision out carefully, which means Will Lewis, your Publisher and CEO, was lying when he said it wasn't your decision and he made the decision himself without your input.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: In an op-ed for his @washingtonpost, Jeff Bezos says “declining to endorse presidential candidates is not enough to move us very far up the trust scale, but it's a meaningful step in the right direction.”
Joe Ragazzo / @jragazzo: This op-ed from Bezos just digs the hole deeper. 1. The fact it was published at all proves Bezos had no clue how this decision would be received. 2. Has this weird tone where he is telling the public (his own readers) a hard truth about....themselves? https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Aaron Mendelson / @a_mendelson: Bezos making a blanket, totally unsupported claim here — something any good reporter, editor or editorial board member would know to avoid https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]
Randolph Duke / @randolphduke7: Agree with Bezos. WaPo getting out of the endorsement game is important for journalistic integrity and trust. They did this late probably due a ton of internal disagreement on this. Eugene Meyer, father of later owner Kay Graham, agreed with this stance https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Matthew Boedy / @matthewboedy: Bezos speaks. There is a HUGE difference between no endorsement and saying Trump is unfit for office. The Post can say the latter and be believed, as Bezos wants. And his reasoning undermines any opinion from the Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Neil Weinberg / @neilweinberg44: Ah yes, the principled stance of ending presidential endorsements (not other endorsements) in the third election after you purchase a newspaper. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Steve Mullis / @stevemullis: In Bezos's op-ed, I take immediate issue with him referring to “our” profession. Sir, you are not in the same profession. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]
Brad Bauman / @bradbaumn: I read @JeffBezos so you don't have to: “I'm a complicated billionaire so you can trust me when I tell you that not taking a principled stand in this election was actually a principled stand” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Josh Rudolph / @joshrudes: No, @JeffBezos, the way to build trust in the news media is not for a billionaire owner to interfere in editorial decisions to curry favor with a would-be autocrat hours before he meets your aerospace company that seeks multi-billion-dollar govt. contracts.https://www.washingtonpost.co m/ ...
Josh Billinson / @jbillinson@threads.net: I think this could have been a pretty convincing argument for why his newspaper shouldn't endorse a presidential candidate if it had been published a few months ago
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: I also appreciate Bezos owning it (and answering on Blue Origin). And yes, WashPost is one of our 50+ members that equally pay us to research, think, advocate about trust in the future of media. It's not a ton of money but I'm certainly an interested and conflicted party. 2/5
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Hey fwiw, I thought this was a solid answer from Bezos. I've been silent but my main issue was the timing of WaPo's announcement. It was the only real screw-up in my mind and a major one for sure. But that said.... 1/5 [image]
Ted Johnson / Deadline: Jeff Bezos Defends Washington Post Decision To Not Endorse In 2024 Presidential Race, Says “No Quid Pro Quo Of Any Kind Is At Work Here”
Zoe G. Phillips / The Hollywood Reporter: Jeff Bezos Says “Presidential Endorsements Do Nothing” Amid Washington Post Subscriber Exodus
David Propper / New York Post: Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos defends paper's decision to not back 2024 candidate, claims presidential endorsements ‘create a perception of bias’
Dan Mangan / CNBC: Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos says in op-ed: 'Americans don't trust the news media'
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Most of the country probably agrees with Jeff Bezos that newspapers shouldn't endorse. Most of the country probably doesn't agree with Bezos that newspapers shouldn't endorse so Jeff Bezos can get government contracts.
Katherine Boyle / @ktmboyle: Kudos to @JeffBezos for telling the newsroom the hard, bitter truth: there's nothing wrong with the readers. [image]
Sriram Krishnan / @sriramk: The Bezos op ed is fantastic writing and true “founder mode” ( sorry!) A lesser owner would have written a mealy mouthed piece on reevaluating internal policies. Bezos cuts to the chase - “the verification/belief of a process is as important as the process itself” - “people
David Simon / @aodespair: Just read the insights of Jeff Bezos in his opinion piece in 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
Richard M. Nixon / @dick_nixon: I agree with him on the first two points and even the third in a legal sense. But they've lost 8% of subscribers and counting. When you're explaining you're losing.
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: This is a good piece at the wrong time from @JeffBezos re @washingtonpost editorials. It's way too close to a high-stakes, democracy-at-risk election to say you're not going to endorse for the first time in a long time, over the strenuous objections of your staff. but there
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: The piece would have been *much* better if it had acknowledged mistakes in the process more clearly and more sincerely. As an example, the Post's early statements did not say the decision came from Bezos: that was obviously a mistake for everyone.
Jay Yarow / @jyarow: A bit late to win back those 200,000 subs, but directionally a pretty good essay. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Clara Jeffery / @clarajeffery: Jeff Bezos spews a bunch of double talk to cover for his terrible decision. “It was made internally” is a classic non-denial denial. A phrase that Washington Post reporters (or at least the actor playing them) made famous re Watergate: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: NEW: Bezos in @washingtonpost defending his call to kill endorsements —"Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election" —"What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias" —"no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here"
Paul Farhi / @farhip: From the column: “...declining to endorse presidential candidates is not enough to move us very far up the trust scale, but it's a meaningful step in the right direction. I wish we had made the change earlier than we did...That was inadequate planning, and not some strategy.”
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Bezos: “I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it. That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy.”
@michaelbishop.me: So principled that he didn't tell the editorial board about it until they'd already written one. [embedded post]
Brian Merchant / @bcmerchant: Does Jeff Bezos honestly think people will buy the line that he killed his editorial board's endorsement of Harris because he suddenly became gravely concerned about newspapers' credibility and decided that not publishing an op-ed will right the ship lol [image]
Corbin Bolies / @corbinbolies: “When it comes to the appearance of conflict, I am not an ideal owner of The Post,” Jeff Bezos writes in WaPo. “I once wrote that The Post is a “complexifier” for me. It is, but it turns out I'm also a complexifier for The Post.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Ruth Ben-Ghiat / @ruthbenghiat: I see: the “trust” he wants is that of the authoritarian right. Bezos naively thinks staying “neutral” will make him “whole” with MAGA. He is not understanding how authoritarians operate.
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: Had the Post said from the get-go that the decision was from Bezos, and included an op-ed like this from him then, there would surely have still been a backlash - but I'd bet it wouldn't have cost them 200,000 subscribers. And they're harder to win back than to keep.
Tim Carmody / @tim@phire.place: The funny thing about this essay (well, one of them) is that the principle that made Bezos rich with Amazon was an unrelenting focus on the customer. Not independence or the appearance of independence: the customer, at all costs. He just lost 200,000+ customers, and doesn't seem to get why. …
Adrian Weckler / @adrianweckler: Feisty op-ed that's worth reading, whatever political side you come down on. There's more than a grain of truth in what he says about a trust crisis in media. (Although some of the language he uses in the column is borderline insulting to his own WP staff.) [image]
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: The “our” and “we” in this opening paragraph lands very strangely. Owning a newspaper doesn't make Jeff Bezos a journalist. It's not his profession. [image]
Gary Marcus / @garymarcus: Ha ha ha ha - Jeff Bezos think that by blocking his editorial board from publishing their chosen endorsement he is going to INCREASE the trust in the Post. Instead of making it seem like the capricious plaything of a billionaire. Hilarious! 😂 “By itself, declining to endorse
Ernie Smith / @ernie@writing.exchange: No matter what he wrote, the fact that this exists at all shows that Bezos appears to have realized to some tiny degree he screwed up here. — https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@papapishu: I need to know which Podcast Jeff Bezos listened to that made him blow up The Washington Post. [image]
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: BEZOS: “The Washington Post and the New York Times win prizes, but increasingly we talk only to a certain elite. More and more, we talk to ourselves.”
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: An important result of the public having little trust in the news media is when an owner make drastic, unexpected changes to the outlet, the people who previously trusted the outlet have a reason to doubt.
Brian Merchant / @bcmerchant: Another good part is where Jeff Bezos, the 2nd richest man in the world, bemoans ppl turning to podcasts and less credible media instead of the Post, which last I saw cost >$100 a year for full access—buddy, if you wanted folks to read more news, you could take down that paywall [image]
Emmy Martin / Politico: Marty Baron slams Bezos' endorsement decision as ‘a betrayal of core principles’
Isaac Saul / @ike_saul: Bezos responds to controversy over WaPo refusing to endorse. I still think there is a lot of personal interest at stake here, but it's undeniable this is a compelling argument. [image]
RELATED:
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Sources: more than 200,000 people had canceled their WaPo digital subscriptions by midday Monday, or ~8% of the paper's paid circulation of 2.5M subscribers — The Washington Post has been rocked by a tidal wave of cancellations from digital subscribers and a series of resignations from columnists …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Crikey, Press Watch, Mediaite, MediaPost, Reuters, Business Insider, Financial Times, Rolling Stone, Semafor, Matt Pearce, The Independent, GeekWire, HuffPost, Crooked Timber, The Wrap, NBC Bay Area, HotAir, Washington Post, CNN, Forbes, The Verge, KDFX-TV, @davidfolkenflik, @jenvalentino_nyt@threads.net, @heidilifeldman@mastodon …, The Dworkin Report, @psythor, @benwansell, @mannyfidel, New York Magazine, @lukeepplin, @grogsgamut, @christinebohan, Michael Learmonth on LinkedIn, @davidfolkenflik, @mpdillon, @mikeisaac, @tom_watson, @cdarwin@c.im, @kantrowitz, @clarajeffery, @natemcdermott, @justinbaragona, @davidfolkenflik, Daring Fireball, @daveleebbg@threads.net, @navjotpkaur, ZeroHedge News, Daily Caller News Foundation, @iamnickreynolds, @dangoodin@infosec.exchange, CNBC, @whstancil, @oneunderscore__, @jhagner, Twitchy, @nickcohen4, @jbenton, @bartongellman, @calebheeringa, @charlesarthur, @bgrueskin, @tylercoates, @bgrueskin, Reason, @froomkin, Lawyers, Guns & Money, @semaforben, @teroterotero, @alexrkonrad, The Daily Caller, INTO, Associated Press, Futurism, Variety, The Hill, Eschaton, @thechaosleague@mastodon … and Oh No They Didn't!
Discussion:
Lorenzo Tondo / The Guardian: ‘Real threat of autocracy’: Washington Post editorial staffers resign in forceful letters
Daanyal Saeed / Crikey: Here's who American newspapers (minus The Washington Post) are backing this election
Dan Froomkin / Press Watch: Betrayed Washington Post readers leave their parting thoughts in 140,000 comments
Charlie Nash / Mediaite: WaPo Loses Eye-Popping 200,000 Subscribers in Exodus That ‘Will Batter’ the Paper, Says NPR Reporter
Reuters: Washington Post hit with over 200K cancellations after move to block Harris endorsement: report
Financial Times: Jeff Bezos defends ‘principled decision’ to block Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris
Charisma Madarang / Rolling Stone: Jeff Bezos Insists That ‘No Quid Pro Quo’ Behind Blocking Harris Endorsement
Josh Marcus / The Independent: Bezos insists no quid pro quo in decision to pull Washington Post's Harris endorsement as staff and subscribers quit
Kurt Schlosser / GeekWire: Jeff Bezos says ‘no quid pro quo of any kind’ in decision to end Washington Post endorsements
Ryan Grenoble / HuffPost: Washington Post Subscriptions In Free Fall After Bezos Blocks Presidential Endorsement
Eszter Hargittai / Crooked Timber: Washington Post cancellations
Jacob Bryant / The Wrap: Washington Post Loses Over 200,000 Subscribers After Bezos Nixes Harris Endorsement
Dan Mangan / NBC Bay Area: Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post non-endorsement, says Americans 'don't trust' media
David Strom / HotAir: WaPo Loses 200,000 Subscribers Because Liberals Are Insane
Hadas Gold / CNN: One-third of Washington Post's editorial board steps down amid wave of canceled subscriptions over non-endorsement
Molly Bohannon / Forbes: 200,000 People Unsubscribed From Washington Post Following Decision To Not Endorse, Report Says
Elizabeth Lopatto / The Verge: Jeff Bezos is no longer relentlessly focused on customer satisfaction
Hadas Gold / KDFX-TV: Three Washington Post editorial board members step down amid wave of canceled subscriptions over non-endorsement
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: NEWS: More than 200,000 subscribers have canceled their digital subscriptions to the Washington Post after the revelation that owner Jeff Bezos blocked an endorsement of VP Harris. That's about 8 percent of WaPo's subscriber base - a staggering sum MORE https://www.npr.org/...
Jennifer Valentino-DeVries / @jenvalentino_nyt …: I keep hearing about people saying they're canceling The Washington Post because of decisions by Bezos, but that it's “too hard” to stop shopping at Amazon or cancel Amazon Prime. Pick a lane.
Heidi Li Feldman / @heidilifeldman@mastodon.social: Exactly what Washington Post deserves. https://www.npr.org/...
Scott Dworkin / The Dworkin Report: 200,000 WaPo Subscription Cancellations Since Blocking Harris Endorsement
James O'Malley / @psythor: This is an *astonishing* level of engagement. Perhaps not surprising given the demographics of who reads the Washington Post but still, holy shit - much larger impact than I would ever have expected.
Ben Ansell / @benwansell: Tbh I hadn't thought that the WaPo decision - cowardly as it might be - would end up having a massive impact. Well it turns it is having one on the bottom line.
Manny / @mannyfidel: just did some quick napkin math and depending on what portion of these subscriptions reached their second year, this is tens of millions of dollars lol
Luke Epplin / @lukeepplin: I dislike the rage-cancellations that folks do when a newspaper publishes an article they disagree with. But this is different—an editorial board has to have autonomy to call it like they see it, fearlessly and without reservation. If they can't, then what's the point?
Greg Jericho / @grogsgamut: This was its front page today. The non-endorsement was not an outlier [image]
Christine Bohan / @christinebohan: Wow. This actual number of cancellations is far, far higher than the estimates over the weekend. Whatever about the (overblown) power of newspaper endorsements, it shows what a terrible business decision it was for a newspaper whose slogan is Democracy Dies in Darkness
Michael Learmonth / Michael Learmonth on LinkedIn: Two things about this: 200,000 is a huge number. If you were trying to get someone's attention at the Post, well done. …
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: “It's a colossal number,” former WaPo Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli told NPR. “People don't know why the decision was made. We basically know the decision was made but we don't know what led to it.” MORE
Patrick Dillon / @mpdillon: I do not, strictly speaking, know all the ins and outs of the publisher job; but I feel confident that somewhere high on Will Lewis' performance plan is “not lose almost 10% of subscribers in a week”
Rat King / @mikeisaac: brutal. bezos himself now a liability to his own paper i imagine the acquisition came when it was en vogue for billionaires to buy legacy publications now i wonder if he decides it's not worth the hassle (as many moguls who dont understand newsrooms have done before him)
Tom Watson / @tom_watson: American friends, google “Gerald Ratner.”
Chuck Darwin / @cdarwin@c.im: Second Washington Post writer quits over failure to back Kamala Harris — A second high-profile Washington Post columnist has stepped down after the newspaper's decision not to support Kamala Harris for president, as more readers announced the cancellation of their subscriptions. …
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: If you're a billionaire owner you can afford it, but you can't ignore it
Clara Jeffery / @clarajeffery: 1/ I'm very torn about this. Otoh, it's a clear signal. otoh, WaPo journalists are pumping out great stuff, we need more of it, not less of it. Without subs paper becomes more, not less, dependent on Bezos' billions, and his whims.
Nathan McDermott / @natemcdermott: An insanely large number of cancelations. And I thought the 1,600 cancelations @davidfolkenflik reported the other day were a substantial amount [image]
Justin Baragona / @justinbaragona: Remember, Jeff Bezos brought in Will Lewis to reverse the revenue loss and subscription atrophy that the paper had experienced recently. So the big move here is to absolutely shoot themselves in the foot with this non-endorsement announcement days before the election.
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Three of top 10 stories on the Post's website Sunday were articles written by outraged staffers. The top one was humor columnist Alexandra Petri's piece, headlined, “It has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to endorse Harris for president.” More than 174Kread it online./ MORE
John Gruber / Daring Fireball: The Washington Post Has Lost Over 200,000 Subscribers (and Counting) After Trump Bootlicker Jeff Bezos Blocked Endorsement of Kamala Harris
Dave Lee / @daveleebbg@threads.net: Bezos can undo much of the damage he's caused in an instant: - Announce he's dipping into his wealth to plug the immediate funding loss ($3.4m a month, based on premium sub cost) from those cancellations. - Apologize, admit he misjudged the moment. - Allow his staff to endorse. …
Navjot Pal Kaur / @navjotpkaur: Please support the local newspapers struggling to stay afloat. They deserve your $$$
Tyler Durden / ZeroHedge News: “Colossal” Exodus: +200,000 WaPo Subscriber Cancellations After Bezos Blocks Harris-Walz Endorsement
Nicole Silverio / Daily Caller News Foundation: Hundreds Of Thousands Reportedly Cancel WaPo Subscriptions After Decision Not To Endorse Harris
Nick Reynolds / @iamnickreynolds: I'm not weighing in on the decision to not endorse, but it's disappointing that it's always the journalists that get hurt and not their billionaire employers. They already had buyouts last year. Did any of these people cancel their Prime memberships? Doubt it.
Dan Goodin / @dangoodin@infosec.exchange: I'm guessing that Jeff Bozos won't care that he's killing a significant source of revenue, because making money was never the point of him owning the WaPo. — https://www.npr.org/...
Dan Mangan / CNBC: Washington Post loses reported 200K digital subscriptions, editorial board members over endorsement veto
Will Stancil / @whstancil: Good. I'm very sorry for the many good people at WaPo but newspapers need to know choices have consequences. Then they can make better choices and get those subscribers back.
Tim Onion / @oneunderscore__: Thankfully, all of them have done their democratic duty and signed up for The Onion instead. https://membership.theonion.com/
John Hagner / @jhagner: After Harris wins we are going to see such a heartfelt apology from Jeff Bezos, and it will be extremely genuine and not entirely cynical.
Warren Squire / Twitchy: Democrats Inflicting Six-Figure Cancellations on Washington Post for Kamala Non-Endorsement
Nick Cohen / @nickcohen4: Watergate was a journalistic triumph people remembered for decades. Bezos' cowardly refusal to endorse Harris is a journalistic disaster people will remember for decades.
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: I honestly cannot remember the last time I was as shocked by a news-industry number as I was by this one: ***TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND*** @washingtonpost subscribers have canceled over Jeff Bezos' decision to block an endorsement of Kamala Harris. https://www.npr.org/... [image]
Barton Gellman / @bartongellman: This is a stunning blow to the @washingtonpost, which is the wrong target for people angry at Bezos deciding to placate Trump. The Post is one of the finest, most aggressive newsrooms for accountability journalism. It lives or dies on subscriptions. Don't cancel.
@calebheeringa: No skin off Bezo's back — WaPo was probably a rounding error in his balance sheet, and he got the quid pro quo he needed out of his investment. But what a huge blow to a vital American media institution, all for a billionaire's political favor.
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: Normally you'd expect a publisher who lost 8% of subscribers through one obviously bad decision to, in turn, lose their job. Wonder how that'll work out for Will Lewis.
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: Unfathomable: Washpost has lost 200,000 subscribers since Bezos pulled the Harris endorsement. That's 8% of its base in a few days. Keep in mind its net gain for most of 2024 was only 4,000 (not a typo) subscribers. Major scoop via @davidfolkenflik https://www.npr.org/...
Tyler Coates / @tylercoates: there was no scenario in which jeff bezos's ownership of one of the most vital newspapers in the country wasn't going to shake out like this in some way
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: The retail price for a subscription (after the introductory period runs out) is $120/year. If all of those subscribers were paying the full rate (and they're not), that'd be a loss of $24 million a year. Or, roughly, .01 percent of Jeff Bezos's net worth.
Joe Lancaster / Reason: Smaller Government Can Protect Against a Vengeful President
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: New! Betrayed Washington Post readers leave their parting thoughts in 140,000 comments https://presswatchers.org/...
Shakezula / Lawyers, Guns & Money: The wallet vote — I'm trying to write up something about this article with which I disagreed to the point of saying “Fuck.
Ben Smith / @semaforben: I've never seen anything like this. Certainly confirms Democracy Dies in Darkness drove a lot of subs!
Tero Kuittinen / @teroterotero: @charlesarthur I think he just bought a gem of a house in Georgetown so he can't be fired
Alex Konrad / @alexrkonrad: Of course, this will hurt the reporters at the Post who didn't make this call quite a lot, and the paper's billionaire owner not in the slightest
Henry Giardina / INTO: Trump's unsavory ties to this aspiring “health care czar” could spell disaster for everyone
Associated Press: Report: Washington Post loses more than 200,000 subscriptions following non-endorsement
Noor Al-Sibai / Futurism: Jeff Bezos Reportedly Has Secretive “Personal Reasons” for Wanting to Escape to Mars
Todd Spangler / Variety: Washington Post Hit With 200,000-Plus Subscriber Cancelations After Jeff Bezos Nixed Presidential Endorsement: Report
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Washington Post loses more than 200,000 subscribers over endorsement outrage: Report
Atrios / Eschaton: That's A Big Number
Max Tani / Semafor:
Two more Washington Post opinion writers resign from its editorial board: David Hoffman, who accepted a Pulitzer Prize last week, and Molly Roberts — The Scoop — Two more Washington Post opinion writers resigned from its editorial board Monday as the paper reels into the US election amid an identity crisis.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @mollylroberts, HuffPost, @benmullin, Axios, Ken Klippenstein, @hadas_gold, The Hill, @davidfolkenflik, @jayrosen_nyu, The Wrap, @davidfolkenflik, @jeff@newsie.social, @maxwelltani, New York Post, @knittingknots2@mstdn.social, Mediaite, @davidfolkenflik, @maxwelltani, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik, @maxwelltani, @brianstelter, Twitchy and The Gateway Pundit
Discussion:
Manuel Roig-Franzia / Washington Post: Post editorial board members step down in wake of endorsement decision
Molly Roberts / @mollylroberts: [image]
Taiyler S. Mitchell / HuffPost: Jeff Bezos Responds To Backlash Over Washington Post Non-Endorsement
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: NEWS: Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post editorial board member David Hoffman will *remain* at The Post — though he is stepping down from the editorial board. From his letter to David Shipley: “While leaving the board, I refuse to give up on The Post, where I have spent 42
Sareen Habeshian / Axios: Nearly a third of WaPo's editorial board stepping down
Hadas Gold / @hadas_gold: “Worse, our silence is exactly what Donald Trump wants: for the media, for us, to keep quiet.”
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Post endorsement controversy sparks staff resignations, protests
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Hoffman says he intends to remain at the paper, saying he “refuses to give up on The Post, where I have spent 42 years.” He writes of being launched on several projects, including “the expanded effort to support press freedom around the world.”
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “I find it untenable and unconscionable that we have lost our voice.” —Washington Post Pulitzer Prize winnner, David Hoffman, said that today.
Sean Burch / The Wrap: 2 More Washington Post Writers Quit Editorial Board Over Scrapped Kamala Harris Endorsement
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Here's a link to full letter from WaPo's David Hoffman stepping down from editorial board - letter is to editorial page editor David Shipley. [image]
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: NEW: Washington Post ed board member Molly Roberts confirms to me that she has resigned.
Taylor Herzlich / New York Post: More Washington Post staffers resign over paper's failure to endorse Kamala Harris
Sue Stone / @knittingknots2@mstdn.social: Exodus from Washington Post editorial board continues | Semafor — https://www.semafor.com/...
Jamie Frevele / Mediaite: Two More Washington Post Editorial Board Members Resign in Protest Over Refusal to Endorse In Presidential Race
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: WaPost's @DavidHoffman has stepped down from the paper's editorial board warning of appeasing tyranny. From his resignation: “For decades, the Washington Post's editorials have been a beacon of light, signaling hope to dissidents, political prisoners and the voiceless. MORE
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: Editorial board member David Hoffman is also resigning, I'm told. Hoffman accepted the Pulitzer last week for his series on “new technologies and the tactics authoritarian regimes use to repress dissent in the digital age, and how they can be fought.”
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: On Thursday, Hoffman received a Pulitzer for “a compelling and well-researched series on new technologies and the tactics authoritarian regimes use to repress dissent in the digital age, and how they can be fought.” David Shipley announced Bezos' decision the next day. MORE
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Molly Roberts' statement resigning from WaPo editorial board 👇🏼
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: I actually think there are some people on the Post's business side who may have a calculation of the damage
Ben Mullin / @benmullin:
[Thread] The Washington Post Opinions editor David Shipley told staffers that Jeff Bezos expressed reservations about an endorsement in late September — news: Post Opinions editor David Shipley told staffers at an intense meeting earlier this afternoon that Jeff Bezos expressed reservations about an endorsement in late September. Shipley told the staff he tried hard to get Bezos to move off of that position.
Discussion:
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Much of this afternoon's meeting was focused on how The Washington Post opinions department can rebuild trust with readers. One staffer said that the damage done was “incalculable.”
T. Cashman Avila / @tcashmanavila: One of the things that the ‘cancelling your subscription only hurts the journalists’ crowd is missing is that these cancellations aren't just about a failure to endorse. It's about the systemic failure of journalists to hold Trump responsible for his actions for nearly a decade.
CNN:
WaPo CEO Will Lewis says “I do not believe in presidential endorsements” and Bezos “was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft” of an endorsement
Discussion:
@michele_norris, Sydney Morning Herald, Popular Information, New York Times, Yahoo News, The Daily Beast, @michele_norris, Washington Post, Politico, KVUE-TV, Fox News, The Hill, Newser, The Boston Globe, HotAir, Columbia Journalism Review, Blaze Media, The Bulwark, Raw Story, Newsbusters, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, New York Post, Media Nation, SPLICETODAY.com, Poynter, New Yorker, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Alternet.org, Adweek, @anntelnaes, @postopinions, @patchappatte, @michele_norris, @bgrueskin, @brianstelter, @peterjukes, Daily Mail, Mediaite, Mumbrella, OutsideTheBeltway, @b_fung@threads.net, The Guardian, The Wrap, @benedictevans@threads.net, @jayrosen_nyc@threads.net, @davidfolkenflik, @lindseyboylan, @davelevinthal, @jennirsl, @julieroginsky, @justinbaragona, @brendan_duke, @benmullin, @musa_algharbi, @semaforben, @deggans, @kenklippenstein, @kenklippenstein, @carlbernstein, @hadas_gold, Cele|bitchy, Power Line, @brianstelter, @carolleonnig, DNyuz, Open Windows, @jimwaterson, @brianstelter, @nycsouthpaw, @franklinleonard, @fvogelstein, @bartongellman, @davidfolkenflik, @eriqgardner, @maxwelltani, @froomkin, @deggans, @peteryared, @semaforben, @jayrosen_nyu, @benmullin, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @carolleonnig, @davidfolkenflik, @maxwelltani, @carolleonnig, Daring Fireball and @fheinderyckx@mastodon.social, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Michele Norris / @michele_norris: As of yesterday, I have decided to resign from my role as a columnist for The Washington Post — a newspaper that I love. In a moment like this, everyone needs to make their own decisions. This is the reasonfor mine. 🧵
Judd Legum / Popular Information: The billionaire-media complex — Jeff Bezos is the second-richest person in the world …
David Artavia / Yahoo News: The Washington Post and L.A. Times face subscriber cancellations and staff resignations for not endorsing a presidential candidate. Here's a closer look at the controversy.
Lily Mae Lazarus / The Daily Beast: Ex-WaPo Editor: This Is a Straight Bezos-Trump ‘Quid Pro Quo’
Michele Norris / @michele_norris: The Washington Post's decision to withhold an endorsement that had been written & approved in an election where core democratic principles are at stake was a terrible mistake & an insult to the paper's own longstanding standard of regularly endorsing candidates since 1976.
Ann Telnaes / Washington Post: Democracy Dies in Darkness
Ittai Sopher / KVUE-TV: Jeff Bezos reportedly led effort to stop 2024 endorsement by Washington Post
Andrew Koppelman / The Hill: In praise of the Washington Post's cowardice
Aidan Ryan / The Boston Globe: ‘One can only imagine that Bezos is feeling the pressure’: Marty Baron blasts Post for not endorsing presidential candidate
Ed Morrissey / HotAir: Horror: Bezos Ordering WaPo to Establish ... Balance?
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review: Jeff Bezos just proved the value of the newspaper endorsement
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark: Journalism in an Autocratic Age
Matthew Chapman / Raw Story: ‘The clock is ticking’: Trump adviser gives ominous warning to CEOs who haven't backed him
Mary Chastain / Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Report: Bezos Tells Washington Post to Hire More Conservative Opinion Writers
Ariel Zilber / New York Post: Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos wants more conservative opinion writers at paper: report
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: A consumer's guide to the poorly understood tradition of newspaper endorsements
Crispin Sartwell / SPLICETODAY.com: Reasons Not to Endorse Kamala Harris
Tom Jones / Poynter: The fallout from The Washington Post's controversial decision to not make an endorsement for president
Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer: Billionaire cowards at Washington Post, L.A. Times show what life under a dictator is really like
Alex Henderson / Alternet.org: ‘Intimidation works’: Business leaders fear retaliation if Trump wins
Ann Telnaes / @anntelnaes: https://anntelnaes.substack.com/ ... [image]
@postopinions: “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” as drawn by @AnnTelnaes🎨: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@patchappatte: My friend @AnnTelnaes once again proves herself to be a beacon of U.S. editorial cartooning. Here's her reaction to The Washington Post's decision not to endorse a presidential candidate —a directive from its owner, tech billionaire Jeff Bezos. 👇 [image]
Michele Norris / @michele_norris: The reason given in no way justifies why the newspaper would abdicate its role in informing and guiding voters as it has done in making endorsements in other key races this year, and as it has done in endorsing the candidates who were running against Trump in both 2016 and 2020.
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: If you read this statement from the Washpost CEO carefully, you'll see plenty of wiggle room for Bezos to have interfered. EG, perhaps Bezos never *read* the endorsement—but made clear to Lewis what was expected of him. (Also, Lewis's record on being candid is um ... meh) [image]
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: New statement from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein: “We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post's own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump
Peter Jukes / @peterjukes: The @washingtonpost problem is a Murdoch problem is a British export We've successful exported oligarch compliance to the paper which broke Watergate
James Gordon / Daily Mail: The Washington Post's humor columnist sneaks in presidential endorsement after iconic paper refused to back Kamala Harris
Kipp Jones / Mediaite: Liz Cheney Rips Jeff Bezos for Being ‘Afraid to Issue an Endorsement’ of Harris in WaPo: ‘I Canceled My Subscription’
Nathan Jolly / Mumbrella: ‘A lot of sensitivity around adjacency’: Why media is afraid of Trump-Harris fallout
James Joyner / OutsideTheBeltway: Punishing Bezos — In the wake of the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post announcing …
Brian Fung / @b_fung@threads.net: Post publisher Will Lewis, it turns out, had argued to Bezos the paper shouldn't announce a change to its endorsements policy so close to the election, @benjaminmullin reports: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael Sainato / The Guardian: Bezos faces criticism after executives met with Trump on day of Post's non-endorsement
Adam Chitwood / The Wrap: Washington Post Columnist Michele Norris Resigns Over Bezos Scrapping Harris Endorsement: ‘A Terrible Mistake’
Benedict Evans / @benedictevans@threads.net: There is an interesting contrast between the outrage over newspaper endorsements and the two candidates' focus on podcasts. The NYT has endorsed the democratic candidate every year since 1960. This was journalism as priesthood, and I wonder how much the outrage comes from a realisation that that centralised, elite control of the narrative is gone.
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyc@threads.net: If your take on endorsements is something like, “Get rid of them. Readers are smart. They can make up their own minds...” then riddle me this: Wouldn't those same readers continue to make up their own minds as they take in with a critical eye what the endorsements have to say?
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: That said, I'm getting pushback from sources from inside the paper who say they were previously told the editorial was shared with Bezos. As I noted, this stuff is tough.
Lindsey Boylan / @lindseyboylan: As if he needed to read the fine print to give a no to endorsing. This feels like gaslighting and wordsmithing.
Dave Levinthal / @davelevinthal: Presidential non-endorsement from @washingtonpost is front-page news today in ... the Washington Post. [image]
Jenni Russell / @jennirsl: Weasel words. No one will be fooled. If Bezos was determined not to endorse Kamala then of course he wouldn't have read the editorial. It wasn't the quality of the argument he was objecting to. It was the fear of offending Trump.
Julie Roginsky / @julieroginsky: Just stop. How stupid does Will Lewis think people are? Bezos didn't need to read a draft on an endorsement to kill it.
Justin Baragona / @justinbaragona: As we all know by now, Will Lewis is a man of integrity and would never do or say anything unethical to protect his boss.
Brendan Duke / @brendan_duke: WaPo readers are the world experts at detecting BS, given the share that work in politics and media. Making this announcement less than 2 weeks before the election and after making U.S. Senate endorsements reflects either owner interference or comically bad management from Lewis
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: We don't know where this background quote comes from. Is it the reporter who covers Amazon? Blue Origin? The Post? What is their basis for this “feeling?” I think this is pretty thin gruel.
Musa al-Gharbi / @musa_algharbi: As I highlight in my book ( https://musaalgharbi.com/...), WaPo and NY Times share many of the same readers, with nearly identical “resistance” politics. They tend to be highly educated, and follow horseraces and gossip closely, but to have a pretty shallow understanding of how
Ben Smith / @semaforben: The way we live now
@deggans: I'm not sure it is confusion. I think there are a lot of people out there who have grown impatient with mainstream media's coverage, and this endorsement scandal is just the tipping point to throw in the towel, unfortunately.
Ken Klippenstein / @kenklippenstein: Thinking about how the Washington Post laid off almost 10% of its staff after posting a $100 million loss — then Jeff Bezos gave a $100 million grant to celebrity Admiral William McRaven and actress Eva Longoria. https://www.kenklippenstein.com/ ...
Ken Klippenstein / @kenklippenstein: The Washington Post lost $100 million last year alone. Billionaires don't buy these properties to make money. They buy them to expand their influence
Carl Bernstein / @carlbernstein: Statement on Washington Post's refusal to endorse presidential candidate. [image]
Hadas Gold / @hadas_gold: Former Post editor @postbaron tells @smerconish Will Lewis reasoning for the non-endorsement “laughable” [video]
Kaiser / Cele|bitchy: Jeff Bezos & Will Lewis ordered WaPo's editors to dump a Kamala Harris endorsement
Scott Johnson / Power Line: Endorse this — The Washington Post has announced it will not endorse a presidential candidate this year.
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Inside @washingtonpost's newsroom, which operates separately from the opinion department, “people who are thinking about the prospect of covering a second Trump presidency are concerned that the owner won't have our backs,” a staffer tells me
Carol Leonnig / @carolleonnig: Big credibility hit. Fist bump to @washingtonpost reporters who are fearlessly writing about @JeffBezos' 11th hour endorsement change, as w/ any powerful institution that needs to be held to account. @RoigFranzia Laura Wagner @MerylKornfield Thank you for letting me share my [image]
DNyuz: 'It's Fear': Liz Cheney Criticizes Washington Post Owner Jeff Bezos After His Paper Snubs Kamala Harris
Ann Telnaes / Open Windows: Democracy dies in darkness
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: About 40% of the complaints I got while working at BuzzFeed related to stories published by HuffPost, always healthy to remember how little the general public (totally understandably) gives a shit about your individual outlet.
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: So many of the fears, anxieties and hopes about the presidential election are encapsulated in this Washington Post non-endorsement imbroglio. Fears of capitulation to Trump, his base's desires for revenge... https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ...
Franklin Leonard / @franklinleonard: If it was true that he doesn't believe in presidential endorsements, he likely would have announced this policy at some point soon after becoming CEO almost a year ago.
Fred Vogelstein / @fvogelstein: Said this last night. Will say it again. This looks like a Will Lewis thing not a Jeff Bezos thing. Sure it's on Bezos for hiring him. But I also don't think Lewis issued this statement voluntarily. And I've begun to wonder if Bezos isn't gearing up to hang Lewis with this mess.
Barton Gellman / @bartongellman: Maybe you didn't fully understand, @JeffBezos, the message that non-endorsement would send. Like it or not, this is about the newsroom. Is the WP still fearlessly holding power to account? Change your mind. It's not too late to show that you are not bending the knee.
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: WashPost publisher Will Lewis appears to be knocking down reporting, including in WaPo, that Bezos had reviewed a tangible draft of endorsement. The decision was still Bezos'. Reporting on this stuff in real time is hard. Doubly so when it's your own institution. Respect.
Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: I don't think endorsements matter except Taylor Swift going on the Kelce podcast “New Heights” to discuss love, football, and the election.
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: One result of the WaPo non-endorsement: I'm told the NYT has been experiencing a small but noticeable wave of cancelations since yesterday, as well as emails to the effect of “fuck Bezos.” There's been some internal discussion about what (if anything) to do about the confusion.
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: I wrote this 2 years ago, calling for Bezos to divest himself of the Post: “The Washington Post has a Bezos problem” https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr
@deggans: Brian Stelter outlines stakes of newspaper endorsement scandal in his Reliable Sources newsletter for CNN: “The appearance of caving to Trump does real and lasting damage to any enterprise that isn't identified as pro-Trump.” https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ...
Peter Yared / @peteryared: Bezos forcing WaPo to not endorse is an employee filter like his Amazon 5 day back to the office policy
Ben Smith / @semaforben: Bezos ... more or less disowning the decision? A confusing way to operate. https://www.semafor.com/... [image]
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “After democracy dies in darkness, they'll be the ones who will be moving happily about in the shadows.” Timothy Snyder on what the media oligarchs have revealed about themselves. https://www.theguardian.com/ ... [image]
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: NEW: Will Lewis, the C.E.O. of The Washington Post, issues a statement saying Jeff Bezos “was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft” of an endorsement for president. “We are an independent newspaper and should support our readers' ability to make up their own
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: “I do not believe in presidential endorsements,” Post publisher William Lewis says in a new statement to CNN 👇🏼 [image]
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Surprise — a special Saturday edition of the @ReliableSources newsletter just landed: https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ...
Carol Leonnig / @carolleonnig: Dear readers, sources, leaders and friends who have reached out in droves today asking me to quit the @washingtonpost : 1/ I too worry about the timing and odd explanation for The Post's change in endorsement policy. 2/ My fear is that this signals a tip-toeing deference to a
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Read to WaPo/LAT non endorsements from the Independence Caucus, “a group within the national NewsGuild formed to advance journalistic independence within Guild newsrooms and union affairs” They raise “serious Qs” about owners' “commitment to journalistic independence” 👇🏼 [image]
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: New Yorker EIC David Remnick, who started his career at the Washington Post and worked there for a decade, emails me his thoughts on today's non-endorsement decision [image]
Carol Leonnig / @carolleonnig: One last note: Please don't cancel your subscriptions. It will only hurt the independent newsgathering my colleagues and I strive to do for you every day. Thank you to many who reached out about this news and agreed to keep subscribing.
John Gruber / Daring Fireball: ★ Profiles in Cowardice: Owner Jeff Bezos and Publisher William Lewis of The Washington Post
Francois Heinderyckx / @fheinderyckx@mastodon.social: “Whatever a media owner's motivations might be, the appearance of caving to Trump does real and lasting damage to any enterprise that isn't identified as pro-Trump.” writes @brianstelter in a special edition of Reliable Sources. WaPo journalists are afraid that if Trump wins, Bezos won't have their back. …
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Netflix adds a Moments feature on iOS, letting users save, rewatch, and share scenes across Instagram, Snapchat, and others, and plans an Android launch soon — Netflix just added a way for you to watch that carriage scene from “Bridgerton” over and over and over again — and share it with your friends — without breaking a sweat.
Discussion:
Netflix Tudum, Advanced Television, The Verge, The Sun, BGR, TechCrunch, Broadband TV News, TVLine, Screen Rant, Adweek, Gizmodo, Comic Book, Jeff Hostetter on LinkedIn, The Hollywood Reporter, Tv Technology, AV Club, The Wrap, Nick Brackney on LinkedIn, The Streamable, Deadline, Media Play News, Just Jared and Oh No They Didn't!, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Nik Roseveare / Advanced Television: Netflix rolls out Moments mobile feature
Jay Peters / The Verge: Netflix is making it easier to bookmark and share your favorite parts of a show
Millie Turner / The Sun: New Netflix upgrade will save you hours of shuffling with new viewing experience - and it's totally free
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch: Netflix's new ‘Moments’ feature lets you save and share clips from your favorite episodes
Matt Webb Mitovich / TVLine: New Netflix Feature Lets You Share Big ‘Moments’ Straight to Socials — Watch Promo ft. Simone Biles and Others
Ryan Northrup / Screen Rant: Netflix Adds New Feature Allowing Users To Share Their Favorite Scenes From Movies & TV Shows
Brittaney Kiefer / Adweek: Netflix Debuts Ad For New ‘Moments’ Feature, Proving Even Celebrities Obsess Over TV Shows
Dua Rashid / Gizmodo: The Netflix Mobile App Will Now Let You Bookmark and Share Scenes With Your Friends
Cameron Bonomolo / Comic Book: Netflix Moments: New Feature Lets Users Share Content
Jeff Hostetter / Jeff Hostetter on LinkedIn: Clip farming is about to get way easier. — It's no secret that clips from popular TV shows and movies are everywhere on TikTok, even if it's usually not original content. …
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter: Netflix Adds New Feature That Makes It Easy to Share Clips From Shows on Social Media
George Winslow / Tv Technology: New Feature Lets Netflix Mobile Users Bookmark Their Favorite Scenes
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap: Netflix Lets Users Share TV Show, Movie Clips to Social Media
Nick Brackney / Nick Brackney on LinkedIn: This is such a brilliant move by Netflix. Meme'ification of their content to create shared moments between people. …
Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: Netflix Now Allows Streamers to Share Favorite Content Scenes Across Mobile Devices
Max Tani / Semafor:
A look at the debate inside WSJ about how management missteps in Moscow and security decisions made in New York may have put Evan Gershkovich at risk in Russia — The Scoop — The Wall Street Journal's triumphant, relieved coverage of Evan Gershkovich's release this August includes …
Discussion:
Jon Williams / @williamsjon: No greater responsibility than safety of those you ask to go to dangerous places. So, WSJ right to review. But hindsight wonderful thing. As someone who saw colleagues detained, kidnapped, injured & worse, if mistakes made, am sure made in good faith. https://www.semafor.com/...
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
UMG partners with AI music company Klay Vision to create an “ethical” AI model for AI-generated music; Klay plans to launch out of stealth in the coming months — The music major is focused on “ethical solutions for artists and the wider music ecosystem, advancing generative AI technology …
Discussion:
UMG, Euractiv, The Verge, Music Business Worldwide, AV Club, Reuters and DNyuz, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
James Murtagh-Hopkins / UMG: UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP ENTERS INTO A STRATEGIC COLLABORATION WITH ETHICAL AI MUSIC COMPANY, KLAY
Wes Davis / The Verge: Universal Music partners with AI company building an ‘ethical’ music generator
Daniel Tencer / Music Business Worldwide: Universal Music enters into strategic partnership with AI music startup KLAY
Mary Kate Carr / AV Club: Universal Music Group partners with an “ethical A.I.” company
Max Tani / Semafor:
Guardian US received $1.1M in pledges after a note to readers noted its endorsement of Harris, the biggest single fundraising day for the paper's US operation — The Washington Post's competitors moved quickly to fill the space it vacated when it shifted from being a bulwark …
Discussion:
Axios, The Boston Globe, Steve Sachs on LinkedIn, The Wrap, @bbcrosatkins, HotAir and @maxwelltani
Discussion:
Dana Gerber / The Boston Globe: Celebrities and journalists are up in arms over the Washington Post's non-endorsement
Steve Sachs / Steve Sachs on LinkedIn: After the Washington Post and LA Times decided not to make an endorsement in the US presidential race, The Guardian raised over $1 million …
Sean Burch / The Wrap: ‘Morning Joe’ Blasts Jeff Bezos for ‘Bowing’ to Trump: ‘Anticipatory Kowtowing’
Ros Atkins / @bbcrosatkins: If you're following the Washington Post's decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in this US election, this latest report from @maxwelltani is useful. https://www.semafor.com/...
John Sexton / HotAir: Leftist Outrage at the Washington Post Continues
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: From last night's @semafor media newsletter: After sending out a note to readers on Friday noting its recent endorsement of Kamala Harris, the Guardian US received $1.1 million in pledges, the biggest single fundraising day for the Guardian's US operation https://www.semafor.com/...
Jem Aswad / Variety:
Concord, one of the world's largest independent music companies, raised $850M in senior notes backed by its catalog of music assets that is valued at $5B — Concord, one of the world's largest independent music companies, has successfully closed a new series of $850 million in financing to “fuel strategic growth and acquisition.”
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Samsung says its FAST service, Samsung TV Plus, has 88M MAUs, on par with Roku Channel, Pluto, and Tubi, and has seen a 50%+ YoY increase in global viewership — The South Korean tech giant says that its Samsung TV Plus service now has 88 million monthly active users, on par with services like Roku Channel, Pluto, and Tubi.
Discussion:
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap: Samsung TV Plus Reaches 88 Million Monthly Active Users
Bevin Fletcher / StreamTV Insider: Samsung TV Plus has 88 million monthly active users
Emiliana Betancourt / Variety: Watch ‘A Man on the Inside’ Trailer Starring Ted Danson; Samsung TV Plus Hits 88 Million Worldwide Users (TV News Roundup)
Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: Samsung TV Plus Hits 88 Million Monthly Active Global Users
James Guttman / Cord Cutters News: Samsung TV Plus Hits 88 Million Users: Leading the Shift Toward Free Streaming
George Winslow / Tv Technology: Samsung TV Plus Hits 88 Million Monthly Active Users
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: Samsung's TV Plus FAST Platform Has 88M Monthly Active Users
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Samsung TV Plus boasts 88 million monthly active users
Karin Klein / The Hollywood Reporter:
An LA Times writer who resigned says the decision to pull a Harris endorsement so late is the “opposite of the neutrality” Soon-Shiong “professes to seek” — I respect owner Patrick Soon-Shiong's right to interfere with editorials; that is one place where he ethically can do so.
Discussion:
@kklein100, The Atlantic, @robrtgreene, Karin Klein on LinkedIn, @klcpegher, Adweek and New York Times
Discussion:
Karin Klein / @kklein100: I am one of the three members of the LA Times editorial board who resigned over the owner's craven decision not to endorse. Here is my column in the Hollywood Reporter about why this was different from an ordinary disagreement between board and owner. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Robert Greene / The Atlantic: Why Major Newspapers Won't Endorse Kamala Harris
Robert Greene / @robrtgreene: My thoughts on the last minute non-endorsement endorsement that prompted me to quit the Los Angeles Times after 18 years: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Karin Klein / Karin Klein on LinkedIn: The Hollywood Reporter asked me to expand my LA Times resignation statement into a guest column with some more information and explanation …
Kelcie Pegher / @klcpegher: [image]
Brian Stelter / CNN:
How “video clippers” who cut and share standout moments from campaign events and cable newscasts on social media are driving news coverage in the 2024 election — New York CNN — — Some of the most powerful people in this year's election cycle are the clippers. — Yes, the video-clippers.
Discussion:
Michael Luciano / Mediaite: James Carville Issues Dire Warning for Trump Over Rally Speaker's Puerto Rico Comments: ‘This Is Going to Cost Him’
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz@threads.net: This is a great piece by @brianstelter, the only thing I'd ad is a huge part of the reason clippers have become so rampant is because of money!! You can make hundreds of thousands of dollars running clips channels, especially if ur outrage farming (aka why so many creators are clip farming) …
Drew Harwell / @drewharwell@threads.net: Good @brianstelter piece on video clippers: https://www.cnn.com/... I reported last month that @kamalahq team employs its own clippers, who watch all Trump events and post viral moments - role once occupied by traditional media. Team manager told me: “We are never not watching. ... …
Nilay Patel / @reckless1280@threads.net: I think it's so fascinating that people get so worked up about AI but not the obvious intense value clippers extract from other creators - and also the enormous value they provide the same platforms investing so heavily in AI
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: The clippers drive news coverage because the moments they post on X get noticed by TV producers; get circulated among reporters; AND get reposted across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Yesterday's MSG rally inspired me to write a @CNN column about this: https://www.cnn.com/...
Geoff Pilkington / @geoffpilkington: How social media video clippers have become some of the most powerful outlets of the 2024 campaign “But once you're clipped, there is little you can do about it. The clippers have the power.” New from @brianstelter https://www.cnn.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Some of the most powerful people in this year's election cycle are the clippers. Yes, the video-clippers, the guys who watch campaign events and cable newscasts for hours on end, looking for the standout moments...
Aaron Rupar / @atrupar: “MAGA rallies are ugly, but it's difficult to capture that in a traditional writeup. By breaking them into clips & highlighting newsworthy moments, people get an unfiltered view of Trumpism without having to suffer through his Castro-like speeches.” — me https://www.cnn.com/...
Taylor Popielarz / @taylorpopielarz: It's hard to overstate how true this is. Like us political journos, campaign staffers are inherently online. I hear from staffers daily who point out something that's going viral. It's a reality check for those of us who spend hours/days/weeks on reports — new media landscape.
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