THIS IS NOT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. IT IS ABOUT JOURNALISM.
(11-1-24) I’ve been a working journalist since I turned 17 and I have strong feelings about the freedom of the press and open discussions. Which is why I was disappointed this week when Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos decided to kill an editorial in his own paper. This is not about whether you are going to vote for Donald Trump or for Kamala Harris. Although Bezos attempted to sugarcoat his actions (after more than 250,000 readers canceled their subscriptions), in my view he acted out of fear.
From Bezos’ perspective, his decision make good business sense. His companies do billions of dollars worth of business with the U.S. Government and The Washington Post loses money every year. He didn’t want to offend Candidate Donald Trump who has promised to punish his “enemies.” But as a journalist, he blew it. There is nothing wrong with him using his editorial page to promote his own points of view. But what Bezos did was silence others and that is censorship.
I was so disappointed about his decision that I wrote an Op Ed and submitted to the Post. But its editors rejected it. Here is what I wrote. Again, this is not about Trump and Harris, it is about a newspaper publisher being afraid of a politician and that is untenable.
The Washington Post. Op Ed submission by Pete Earley
As a former Washington Post reporter and life-long journalist, I feel obligated to explain why Jeff Bezos’ decision to censor an editorial supporting the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris is both wrong and dangerous. Whether The Post’s choice is Harris or Donald Trump is immaterial. There are higher stakes.
Bezos explains that he was motivated by public surveys that rank journalists and the media at the bottom when it comes to trust and reputation. “Most people believe the media is biased,” he notes. Bias restricts, limits and disregards the opinions of others. As does its twin – censorship. If his decision was aimed at eliminating bias, his actions actually have fostered it.
“We must work harder to control what we can control to increase our credibility,” Bezos writes. The pathway to credibility is not by limiting thoughtful discussion, but by encouraging more of it, including different points of view. Hiring independent ombudspersons and encouraging readers to report errors and comment freely are steps to eliminate bias, not silencing opinions.
Bezos offers an analogy, stating that voting machines must meet two criteria. The machines must count votes accurately and the people must believe they count accurately. The same, he writes, is true of newspapers. This is misleading. A voting machine cares nothing about public perceptions. It counts ballots. A journalists’ job is to investigate and report facts without fear or favor. Whether the public believes the facts should be immaterial to a fact seeker. To do otherwise is to risk pandering and, in fact, promotes bias. This is why reputable news organizations create a wall between news gatherers and editorial writers and columnists.
It is the task of opinion writers to interpret and persuade. Not reporters. The public understands this. And more opinions, not less, is what is needed.
Censoring an editorial does not eliminate bias.
Bezos dismisses the value of his newspaper’s presidential endorsement. While an endorsement might not sway a reader, Bezos has undercut The Post opinion staff, undermining its power to educate and persuade on further issues. What now will separate The Post from a weekly, throwaway shopper that avoids offending readers and advertisers by offering no analyst or opinions, only recipes? Is this not a shirk of public trust and responsibility?
Bezos dismisses any mention about why the press and media rank so low, stating that “a victim mentality will not help.” True, but ignoring reality is equally dangerous. The “main stream” media has been under attack for nearly a decade, chipping away at its credibility in favor of “alternative facts.”
“Complaining is not a strategy,” Bezos argues. Yes, but neither is ignoring the danger in unchecked criticism and promotion of misinformation. With the loss of advertising, too many outlets – especially cable television stations – have hired non-journalists and former political operatives to carve out either a liberal or conservative view to increase their viewership. This is part of what undermines credibility. Passing these folks off as legitimate journalists hurts the profession.
Bezos assured readers that there was “no quid pro quo” while acknowledging an appearance of conflict. “I challenge you to find one instance in those 11 years where I have prevailed upon anyone at the Post in favor of my own interest. It hasn’t happened.” I agree. Until now. Arguing that a thief didn’t steal anything for years before he finally did does not lessen the crime.
Listen to the words of William Allen White for guidance.
I began my career at the Emporia Gazette, home of William Allen White, who penned a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial entitled, To An Anxious Friend, in 1922 after the Kansas governor attempted to arrest and censor any newspaper that sided with striking rail workers. White wrote: “You say that freedom of utterance is not for time of stress, and I reply with the sad truth that only in time of stress is freedom of utterance in danger. No one questions it in calm days, because it is not needed. And the reverse is true also; only when free utterance is suppressed is it needed, and when it is needed, it is most vital to justice.”
It is not too late for Bezos to reverse his decision so that readers can decide for themselves, as they will, whether or not a presidential endorsement is warranted. Silence does not foster credibility. It encourages complicity. Mr. Bezos, William Allen White’s closing comments got it right, not your’s.
White wrote: “This nation will survive, this state will prosper, the orderly business of life will go forward if only men can speak in whatever way given them to utter what their hearts hold – by voice, by posted card, by letter, or by press. Reason has never failed men. Only force and repression have made the wrecks in the world.”
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