First, there’s the problem of consistency. Beneath Bezos’ possession, the Submit endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, and its opinion web page continues to be outspoken concerning the risks posed by a second Trump time period. Bezos’ intervention does little to whitewash the protection of his paper, and solely raises questions on its editorial independence.
A second subject considerations the timing of this determination. Saying this determination at such a late stage gives the look that the Submit is hedging its bets as a substitute of taking a principled stand.
Making issues worse, Bezos’ aerospace firm, Blue Origin, had a gathering with Trump’s marketing campaign the identical day that the choice was made. Bezos claims that there was “no quid professional quo” concerning the determination, however the timing of the occasions casts doubt on this assertion.
A 3rd subject considerations the context. Throughout America, religion in conventional media has been falling precipitously. Even Democrats have begun to specific suspicions about media platforms, such because the New York Occasions and CNN, for what they name a failure to carry Trump to the usual that Biden and Harris are held to, with career-ending scandals barely receiving mainstream protection.
As political commentator Van Jones remarked on CNN, Trump “will get to be lawless, however (Harris) needs to be flawless.”
On the eve of this vital election, People seemed to platforms such because the Submit for illumination. But they discovered poor timing at greatest, and cowardice at worst.