The Washington Post has declined to make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race. Its current explanation is that it will no longer make endorsements in presidential races at all. Many people find the explanation to be rather dubious, and one prominent competing theory is that Jeff Bezos spiked a planned endorsement of Kamala Harris to avoid pushback from a possible future Trump administration.
If either the Washington Post or Jeff Bezos himself ascribe this decision to Jeff Bezos by the end of 2024, this question will resolve YES. Confirmation from the WashPo must come from the paper itself, through an authorized representative; statements from resigned editors, the employees' guild, or other insider sources will not count. Any statement from Bezos will count, whether made personally or through a representative.
To be clear, no amount of reporting confirming that Bezos made the decision will result in a YES. The WashPo or Bezos must confirm that Bezos himself made the decision. Reporting that Bezos admitted to third parties that he made the decision also will not count. This question is about whether the institution or the owner confronts the decision publicly and openly.
I may have to exercise discretion in resolving this question, for example if the statement is muddled. I will not bet in this market.
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1.00@GleamingRhino I've been thinking about this one for a bit. It's close, because he says, "I wish we had made the change earlier than we did," but elsewhere he uses "we* to refer to the paper itself. In other words, he could have published the same piece if he didn't order the endorsement spiked.
Personally I think his piece is terrible, and the too-precious wording a big part of that. But it keeps this from resolving YES at this point.
The Post's own reporting confirms that this was Bezos's decision, but that reporting does not resolve this question; it's reporting about the decision (citing anonymous sources), not a formal statement by the paper or the owner.
"An endorsement of Harris had been drafted by Post editorial page staffers but had yet to be published, according to two sources briefed on the sequence of events who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The decision to no longer publish presidential endorsements was made by The Post’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. “This was a Washington Post decision to not endorse, and I would refer you to the publisher’s statement in full,” said Chief Communications Officer Kathy Baird."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement-president/
The current WashPo "note from the publisher:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement/
More detailed reporting on the matter:
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/25/nx-s1-5165353/washington-post-presidential-endorsement-trump-harris