USA Today and owner Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain, announced Tuesday it would not endorse either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president. USA Today joins The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times to end years of presidential endorsements with the 2024 general election. Photo by Mossmen/Wikimedia Commons
Oct. 30 (UPI) — USA Today is the latest newspaper to announce it will not make a presidential endorsement before next week’s general election.
Gannett, which owns USA Today and more than 200 publications in the country’s largest newspaper chain, joined The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday when it announced it will not endorse candidates “in presidential or national races.”
“While USA Today will not endorse for president, local editors at publications across the USA Today Network have the discretion to endorse at a state or local level,” USA Today spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón said in a statement. “Many have decided not to endorse individual candidates, but rather, endorse key local and state issues on the ballot that impact the community.”
Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, defended the decision to end his newspaper’s long-standing tradition of endorsing a presidential candidate. More than 200,000 digital subscriptions have been canceled since last week’s announcement.
In an Op-Ed published Monday night, Bezos said the “principled decision” not to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president was made to increase public trust.
Last week, the editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times resigned over their newspaper’s decision not to endorse a presidential nominee. Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said he preferred a factual analysis of the nominees’ policies instead of an endorsement.
In addition to USA Today, Gannett owns The Arizona Republic, The Tennessean, The Des Moines Register and the Detroit Free Press.
“This was an editorial decision. It had nothing to do with Gannett corporate,” Antón told CNN on Tuesday. “The perception that our corporate team influenced editorial is not accurate.”
“Why are we doing this? Because we believe America’s future is decided locally — one race at a time,” Antón said. “And with more than 200 publications across the nation, our public service is to provide readers with the facts that matter and the trusted information they need to make informed decisions.”