Washington Post union and staff members protest against the decision not to back a presidential candidate, accusing Bezos of influence.

Washington Post employees are up in arms following the paper's decision not to back a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

William Lewis, CEO of Post publisher, announced that the paper would not endorse a presidential candidate in the upcoming election, and would not do so in any future presidential election.

The Washington Post Guild released a scathing statement condemning the decision shortly after.

The Guild expressed deep concern that The Washington Post, a prominent American news organization in the nation's capital, would abandon its practice of endorsing presidential candidates, particularly just 11 days before a highly significant election. As an Editorial Board, it is their responsibility to offer their opinions on the news that affects our society and culture and to endorse candidates to help guide readers.

"Our Guild is concerned that management interfered with the work of its members in Editorial, as stated by our chief executive, Will Lewis. According to our own reporters and Guild members, an endorsement for Harris was already drafted, and the decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos."

Our members' works are being undermined by cancelations from once-loyal readers, which is happening at a time when we should be strengthening readers' trust.

If you are a Washington Post reader concerned about the Editorial Board's decision not to endorse a candidate this election cycle, you can send a letter to CEO and Publisher Will Lewis and Editorial Page Editor David Shipley.

Robert Kagan resigned due to the decision, and Marty Baron condemned it as "cowardice."

"This behavior is cowardly and harms democracy. @realdonaldtrump will view it as an opportunity to further intimidate @jeffbezos (and others). The spinelessness displayed at an institution known for courage is disturbing," Baron wrote on X.

Washington Post columnist and associate editor Karen Tumulty reposted Baron's message.

Brianna Sacks, a climate change reporter, also retweeted Baron and reacted to the news of the decision by stating, "We won a Pulitzer for public service for our coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection."

A former high-level Washington Post employee concurred with Baron's viewpoint, criticizing the "incompetent" decision.

"Planet Chronicle Digital was told that the statement disingenuously draws fallacious equivalencies, and it is not comparable to Kamala Harris versus Mitt Romney. Instead, it is Kamala Harris versus someone who attempted to disenfranchise the electorate in the past."

"If you decide that it's not the role of an editorial board to endorse, then don't endorse for Senate or House. Just don't endorse," they continued.

The ex-staffer has been hearing from distressed former colleagues who are "shocked" and "deeply disappointed," and said current staffers think the explanation given is a "fig leaf."

The source stated that they are receiving an overwhelming amount of subscription cancellations.

I have never been ashamed of The Post until today. According to Eugene Meyer's Principles of The Post, the newspaper's first mission is to tell the truth as accurately as possible. Today's decision is a complete abandonment of those principles.

The ex-Post employee cautioned about the potential "chilling effect" that could arise in the newsroom due to this.

"The church/state divide was a real issue, but those in editorial have connections to the newsroom, making it more personal. People in the newsroom are thinking that if an endorsement was killed, a news story might follow. Lewis has shown a willingness to try that. If Trump wins, who would want to cover his administration for The Post, constantly looking over their shoulder for the publisher or owner's disapproval? This move sends a chilling effect on the mission of the place."

Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah took to X to scold her employer.

Attiah wrote that today has been a betrayal to those who have risked their careers and lives to defend human rights and democracy.

The Post's Style section reported that the decision has caused controversy among the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news staff, a tradition in American journalism that separates opinion writing from daily news coverage.

Fenit Nirappil, a health care reporter, tweeted about the report, "Our news team remains fearless in reporting, even when it involves our own superiors."

He included images of two particular quotes:

"According to two sources, an endorsement of Harris drafted by Post editorial page staffers had not been published yet, and the decision not to publish was made by Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Post."

"This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty. Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners)," former Post executive editor Martin Baron, who led the paper while Trump was president, said in a text message to The Post. "History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."

According to a source close to The Washington Post, Bezos was not involved in the decision. However, a separate source claims otherwise, citing The Post's own reporting that the billionaire directly intervened.

"If a non-endorsement had been announced before the nominees were known, it would have made sense. However, doing it 11 days before the election implies that Bezos is concerned about losing government contracts if Trump wins. This suggests that intimidation works, as Trump has previously caused trouble for Bezos by killing a big cloud computing contract and messing with the Amazon postal contract. Therefore, Bezos knows how expensive a second term might be if Trump were mad at the company's coverage."

The staffer stated that Baron is viewed as a hero for his X post because he effectively framed the stakes.

According to the source, Lewis, the current leader of the Post, has "lost the newsroom."

"The staffer told Planet Chronicle Digital that they wouldn't trust anything that Will Lewis or his team said, as he had lost the newsroom over the summer and no longer showed his face. They only received weekly rah-rah emails from him, and he used to wander the newsroom but was no longer welcome."

A spokesperson for The Post refused to provide additional information but emphasized that the decision was made by The Post.

11 columnists expressed their negative view of the decision as a "terrible mistake."

The Washington Post's failure to endorse a presidential candidate is a grave error that undermines the newspaper's core values and long-standing legacy. This moment calls for the institution to reaffirm its commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and international alliances, and to stand firm against the threat posed by Donald Trump, as it did in endorsing his opponents in 2016 and 2020.

"The Post's role as an independent newspaper and its practice of making political endorsements are not contradictory, as they serve as guidance to readers and reflect core beliefs. This is especially true in the current campaign, where one candidate threatens the freedom of the press and the values of the Constitution. While an independent newspaper may someday choose to stop making presidential endorsements, this is not the right time to do so."

The article was signed by 11 prominent journalists, including Perry Bacon Jr., E.J. Dionne Jr., Lee Hockstader, David Ignatius, Heather Long, Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank, Catherine Rampell, Eugene Robinson, Jennifer Rubin, and Karen Tumulty.

Susan Rice, a former adviser to Biden, expressed her outrage in multiple posts in the political world.

"As a native of DC and a longtime subscriber to the Post, I am outraged. You have lost us," she wrote, then added, "So much for 'Democracy Dies in Darkness'. This is the most hypocritical, cowardly move from a publication that is supposed to hold those in power accountable."

The Washington Post editorial board member criticized the decision, prompting her to reply, "What action will they take? The entire Post editorial team should resign."

Jeff Bezos, the 2nd wealthiest person in the world and owner of the Washington Post, overrides his editorial board and refuses to endorse Kamala. This shows that he is afraid of antagonizing Trump and losing Amazon's federal contracts, according to Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Planet Chronicle Digital’s Scott Whitlock contributed to this report.