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Endorsements have never been without the blessing and influence of the owner of that paper or institution. The extent that an owner lets the editorial team pick
by chrisco255 2y ago
Endorsements have never been without the blessing and influence of the owner of that paper or institution. The extent that an owner lets the editorial team pick an endorsement is the same extent to which they align philosophically. It's an illusion of choice or independence.
If papers were meant to be more neutral, I suppose they would need to be owned as cooperatives by the subscribers themselves, assuming the subscribers were balanced and philosophically diverse.
- eapressoandcats 2y agoThe key point here is that despite all their biases, the Washington Post and The New York Times were at least perceived as independent, with both of them famously publishing articles that would upset those in power. If their owners feel the need to spike articles unfavorable to the administration, then no more Pentagon Papers etc.
- silexia 2y agoBoth publications pretty much only employ far left journalists, and have terrible reputations with Republicans for biased reporting.
- ajross 2y agoHas an owner ever killed an already-written endorsement 11 days out from an election? You're right that there is an implicit assumption that an owner condones the paper's operation. But to exert control like this so specifically and in such a baldly partisan way is unprecedented, thus the resignations both at the Post and the LA Times. It's one thing to hire an editorial staff with whom you agree, it's quite another to step in and overrule their attempt to do the job you hired them to do.
- thijson 2y agoI agree. I was reading about Rupert Murdock's start in Australia. He was able to swing an election there through his ownership of a few newspapers. Newspapers don't have the same pull as they did back then. Now I guess it's the online platforms like Facebook, X, or Reddit. Reddit seems to be captured by the Democratic party. There used to be a concept of journalistic integrity, to just report the facts, not to put any spin on them. These days that's totally abandoned, it's considered entertainment.