There is a 'to do' in the US election among the elites over a couple of newspapers not endorsing a candidate.
This is an American thing – we don’t do it here and we are wise not to.
It started with the LA Times, who decided no endorsement would be made. This led to one of the editorial board quitting and a lot of whining.
Then came the Washington Post, which is the paper Bezos owns. The editor said it was their call not to endorse a candidate, this was disputed and several board members walked, and allegedly a couple of hundred thousand subscribers quit the paper.
Enter Bezos, who wrote a couple of self-explanatory things.
Firstly, he wished the no-endorsement move had come earlier, not in the heat of the battle.
He then pointed out, quite correctly, not a single undecided voter ever, anywhere, had their mind made up by a newspaper.
Then most importantly of all he suggested, once again quite correctly, that the media is not trusted by the American public and wandering around pretending to be neutral while endorsing people is not going to help their reputation.
Not surprisingly both papers were going to endorse Kamala Harris and whether from a point of view of true balance or not, a media already seen to be hopelessly left-leaning and in the Democrat's pocket was not going to tilt the balance their way by further enhancing their reputation as anti-Trump.
The endorsement business comes from a different age. An age when papers actually mattered.
Some still do, but not many, and as the media is diluted it matters less and less.
The problem with this problem is those in the middle of it still clearly suffer from another of the age-old problems of the media – too many take themselves too seriously.
I bet many of them actually believe that people don’t make up their mind until they are told to. Many of them will think an endorsement swings the race or moves the needle.
Many of them will think that Bezos, as owner, really doesn’t get to make the calls. Guess what? He does.
The upside might just be a tired, old habit of an endorsement by paper might just have died in the race of 2024.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
Then came the Washington Post, which is the paper Bezos owns. The editor said it was their call not to endorse a candidate, this was disputed and several board members walked, and allegedly a couple of hundred thousand subscribers quit the paper.
Enter Bezos, who wrote a couple of self-explanatory things.
Firstly, he wished the no-endorsement move had come earlier, not in the heat of the battle.
He then pointed out, quite correctly, not a single undecided voter ever, anywhere, had their mind made up by a newspaper.
Then most importantly of all he suggested, once again quite correctly, that the media is not trusted by the American public and wandering around pretending to be neutral while endorsing people is not going to help their reputation.
Not surprisingly both papers were going to endorse Kamala Harris and whether from a point of view of true balance or not, a media already seen to be hopelessly left-leaning and in the Democrat's pocket was not going to tilt the balance their way by further enhancing their reputation as anti-Trump.
The endorsement business comes from a different age. An age when papers actually mattered.
Some still do, but not many, and as the media is diluted it matters less and less.
The problem with this problem is those in the middle of it still clearly suffer from another of the age-old problems of the media – too many take themselves too seriously.
I bet many of them actually believe that people don’t make up their mind until they are told to. Many of them will think an endorsement swings the race or moves the needle.
Many of them will think that Bezos, as owner, really doesn’t get to make the calls. Guess what? He does.
The upside might just be a tired, old habit of an endorsement by paper might just have died in the race of 2024.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
6 comments:
Most people are sick to the back teeth with all of these celebrity endorsements, gagging at each one of the fools for putting their vomit inducing gushes of what they think. Like Meryl Streep, does anyone give a flying eff what she's gonna say to OPRAH?
Well done Jeff Bezos.
My understanding is that endorsement of a candidate is only 30 odd years old.
If the US print media think that they should " stay away from endorsements of a and/or any Political Candidate", then can they take that thought/idea/concept and express it to the TV Media - not only in America but also across the World?
On the basis of this article, it should be apparent, to all New Zealander's, why Donald Trump in 2016 " treated US Media print & TV with open distain" which he still does even in 2024.
This is an American thing? In NZ the mainstream media is worse. Look at the way Stuff and the Post promoted Tori Whanau and before her Jacinda.
Mike Hosking may be correct to suggest that NZ newspapers don’t endorse political candidates, however our corrupt MSM, not so subtly, brush over the failings of left wing politicians but attack the centre right coalition wherever they can. The architects of our financial misery Robertson and Orr have escaped justifiably persecution from our biased media Mike.
Newspapers not only report the news but also provide authoritative commentary on what is happening in the world. Any such commentary will inevitably involve a theoretical framework. Such conceptual frameworks in the social sciences tend to include an ideological stance. I see nothing wrong with newspapers siding with political parties or candidates as long as they outline their reasons to their readership. It should help ordinary people understand the underlying ideologies better and thereby be better equipped to make rational decisions and choices about their own political behaviour.
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