Bezos supports WaPo's decision to stop presidential endorsements: "I'm very proud of the choice."

Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, defended the paper's decision not to endorse a 2024 presidential candidate a few weeks before the election, stating that it wouldn't have made a difference regardless.

The decision not to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris after a draft had been written led to the resignation of Post staffers and editorial board members, a mass exodus of subscribers, and even required Bezos to defend the "principled decision" in a rare op-ed.

On Wednesday, during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin at DealBook Summit 2024, Bezos was questioned about the decision.

He explained that The Post historically did not endorse candidates until after Watergate, stating, "We decided that it wouldn't help and wouldn't influence the election either way."

"According to Bezos, there is no evidence that newspaper endorsements affect election outcomes. He explained that during the Pennsylvania election, no independent voter was swayed by the Washington Post's endorsement, as they were not going to follow its recommendation."

"He stated that the benefits of [an endorsement] were minimal and contributed to the perception of bias. Additionally, he acknowledged the challenge that all traditional media faces, which is a significant loss of trust."

The accuracy of the media is not enough; people must also believe it to be accurate.

Despite scathing criticism from former Post executive editor Marty Baron and journalist David Remnick, Bezos remained steadfast in his decision.

"We made the right decision, and I'm proud of it. Although there would be blowback, we knew it was the right thing to do, and we did it anyway," he said.

Sorkin raised concerns about the backlash, including 250,000 people canceling their subscriptions, and questioned whether Bezos' effort to restore trust in the media had actually made people more cautious of it.

"I don't follow that logic," Bezos said, later adding that he was not surprised by the backlash. "You can't do the wrong thing because you're worried about bad PR or whatever it is you want to call it. This was the right decision. We made the right decision. I'm very proud of that decision."

Sorkin questioned Bezos' optimism about Trump's next presidency, given the president-elect's contentious relationship with the media, which he has referred to as the "enemy."

"I'll attempt to persuade him against that notion. I believe the media isn't the enemy. Additionally, I don't think he's also... You've grown in the past two years, as has he. However, this isn't the case. The media isn't the enemy," Bezos stated.

Let's go talk to him and persuade him of this. You and I should go.

Planet Chronicle' Brian Flood contributed to this report.