Washington Post Loses 250,000 Subscribers — 10% of Base — Over Decision Against Kamala Harris Endorsement: Report

Washington, D.C. — The Washington Post is grappling with an exodus of over 250,000 subscribers after owner Jeff Bezos barred the paper’s editorial board from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The cancellations, amounting to about 10% of the newspaper’s total subscriber base, underscore reader frustration with the policy shift and Bezos’s influence on the editorial process.

The Washington Post has reportedly lost more than 250,000 subscribers in the last week. AFP via Getty Images

The backlash began over the weekend, with 200,000 subscribers cancelling after reports surfaced that The Post would abstain from endorsing any presidential candidate in the upcoming election and indefinitely into the future. Bezos addressed the decision in an op-ed published Monday, calling it “a principled decision” intended to avoid “a perception of bias.” However, as of Tuesday, an additional 50,000 readers had cancelled their subscriptions, according to National Public Radio.

A spokesperson for The Washington Post declined to comment on the subscription losses.

The paper’s subscriber base had been over 2.5 million last year, primarily digital, positioning it behind only The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in U.S. newspaper circulation. But in recent months, The Post has faced financial pressures, making the recent cancellations a notable setback.

Bezos, who was seen attending an event in Europe alongside pop singer Katy Perry on Friday, defended the decision in his essay, arguing that editorial endorsements of presidential candidates often reinforce perceptions of partiality in the press. “Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one,” Bezos wrote, adding that he regretted the timing so close to the election. “That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy,” he noted.

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos defended his decision to block the editorial board from publishing its endorsement. AFP via Getty Images

The new editorial policy has sparked resignations within The Post: two columnists and three of the nine editorial board members have left in protest. Martin Baron, former executive editor who led The Post when Bezos acquired it, condemned the decision on social media, calling it “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.”

Some critics speculate that Bezos’s move to eliminate endorsements could be motivated by business interests, citing his ongoing tensions with former President Donald Trump. The Washington Post endorsed Trump’s Democratic opponents in both 2016 and 2020, and Trump has frequently criticized the paper’s coverage of his administration.

Bezos said an endorsement would fuel perceptions that the newspaper is biased. AP

In his column, Bezos addressed such concerns, acknowledging that his role as both Amazon CEO and newspaper owner raises questions about conflicts of interest. However, he maintained that his actions since buying The Post in 2013 have been guided solely by editorial principles. “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 interests,” he wrote. “It hasn’t happened.”

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times has faced its own reader cancellations after its billionaire owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, similarly intervened to prevent a Harris endorsement, leading to an estimated 18,000 cancellations and additional editorial board resignations.

The Washington Post has yet to respond to requests for comment on the latest developments at both newspapers.