New York
CNN
—

For the first time in decades, The Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in this year’s presidential election, the newspaper’s publisher announced Friday.

“The Washington Post will not endorse any presidential candidate in this election. Not even in future presidential elections,” Will Lewis said in a published statement. “We are returning to our roots of not supporting presidential candidates.”

The Post has endorsed a presidential candidate in every election since the 1980s. In his statement, Lewis referenced the editorial board’s previous decisions not to endorse a candidate, noting that this is a right “we’re going back to.”

“We recognize that this will be read in a variety of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable,” Lewis continued. “We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values ​​that The Post has always stood for and that we hope for in a leader: character and courage in the service of American ethics, reverence for the rule of law and respect for human freedom in all its aspects . ”

The Washington Post is owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Newspaper owners typically play a role in the approval of their publication and endorse editorials that are seen as reflecting their views.

Before Friday’s announcement, The Post’s editorial page editor David Shipley told staff that Lewis would issue a public note detailing the decision.

“The news is important – and I know there will be strong reactions across the department,” Shipley wrote in a memo obtained by CNN.

The decision was sharply criticized by Marty Baron, the Post’s former editor-in-chief, who led the newspaper through its coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The newspaper went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for public service for its coverage of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, which it described as an “attempted coup.”

“This is cowardice, with democracy as the victim. Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Bezos (and others),” Baron wrote in a social media post. ‘Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famous for its courage.’

During Trump’s presidency, he famously feuded with Bezos, especially when it came to Amazon. Trump dubbed the Post “The Fake News Washington Post” and derided him as Amazon’s “chief lobbyist.”

Trump directly accused Amazon of not paying enough taxes and abusing the US Postal Service, among other claims. The Trump administration also blocked Amazon’s $10 billion cloud computing contract with the Pentagon, which was widely seen as an attempt by Trump to exact retaliation against Bezos over the Post’s reporting.

It was Bezos, Baron wrote in his book “Collision of Power,” who ultimately helped decide the Post’s “Democracy Dies in Darkness” motto, which was adopted during the Trump era.

The Pentagon had to cancel a $10 billion cloud computing contract with Microsoft after Amazon filed a lawsuit claiming it was passed over to punish Bezos for the After‘s reporting.

The decision comes just days after Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked the newspaper’s planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, leading to the resignations of three editorial staff members.