No organizing against Trump calls LA Times, Washington Post subscribers

The Los Angeles Times and Washington Post have seen significant subscription cancellations in the days since their billionaire owners decided not to endorse the presidential race after the editorial boards at both newspapers offered to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

National Public Radio reported that the Post has seen more than 200,000 cancellations. Sources said The Times, which has fewer than 400,000 subscribers, has canceled more than 7,000 subscribers for “planning reasons.” Total cancellations over the past few days have been higher, but internal data did not justify those conditions.

That loss amounted to about 8% of the Post's estimated 2.5 million print and online readers and at least a 1.8 percent audience for The Times. Any drop in subscriptions is painful for financially fragile organizations whose futures depend heavily on building a strong online audience.

The Post suffered the most, insiders say, because it built its reputation as an outspoken critic of Trump, adopting the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” Many students said they signed up because the paper that exposed the Watergate scandal 50 years ago also indicted Trump for his lies, his inflammatory and sometimes racist rhetoric and his attacks on institutions.

“This is a self-inflicted wound on the part of the Washington Post,” said Martin Baron, a former Post editor, in an interview Monday. “Many of these students signed up for the Post Office because they believe it will stand up to Donald Trump. And now they fear this is a sign of weakness … and an invitation to Trump to continue harassing the owner of the Washington Post. “

The angry reaction prompted an unusual response from the newspaper's owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The Post published a column by the billionaire, one of the world's richest men, in which he defended his decision not to endorse Harris, saying that the culture of presidential endorsements has not helped the public but, instead, helped “create the perception of bias.” The idea of ​​independence.”

He cited the decision not to endorse the Harris-Trump race as the first attempt to restore trust.

“I wish we had made the change sooner than we did, a little while into the election and the emotions around it,” Bezos wrote. “That was inadequate planning, and it wasn't some deliberate strategy.”

Bezos has denied allegations that he turned down Harris' endorsement in hopes of undermining Trump, though he acknowledged that his business website will always give the appearance of a conflict of interest.

The owner of The Times, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, said last week that he has decided not to support efforts to ease the rift surrounding the election. He said he trusts the students to choose the best person.

Students have accused the two prestigious institutions of refusing to stand up to what they see as the danger of another Donald Trump presidency.

“Our democracy is at great risk, and we must strengthen our institutions as an act of defiance against the threat of authoritarianism,” said Miguel Santana, CEO of the California Community Foundation and a prominent community leader in Southern California. “Choosing to sit out this is disrupting our community at a time when we need the facility the most.”

David Warren, a longtime retired university dean, said The Times' disapproval made it appear that Soon-Shiong was not honoring his newspaper's years of critical reporting on Trump.

Warren rejected the suggestion – proposed by Soon-Shiong- that The Times should have provided readers only with a side matrix on Harris and Trump, comparing their records and their positions.

“These became like saying that we should give creationism the same validity as the scientifically proven fact of evolution. It shouldn't be,” said Warren. “It is irrational and looks like a coward. And I don't think this paper should be cowardly.”

Many long-time readers said they were leaving The Times reluctantly but felt they had no choice.

“I'm very sad that I have to cancel because I'm so grateful for the hard work you all put in every day while the work is withering around you,” said Stephanie Stanley of Tarzana, a former journalist in New Orleans. “Unfortunately, I don't see how students can express their shock and disgust.”

Some Times journalists have joined students in renewing their warnings about the unintended consequences of student cancellations – undermining The Times' ability to support its journalism, at a time when the public says it wants public figures to be held accountable.

Matt Hamilton, who won a Pulitzer Prize for covering the USC scandals — along with reporters Harriet Ryan and Paul Pringle — also urged “heartbroken” readers to consider the impact of quitting The Times.

“We have the largest newsroom west of the Mississippi,” Hamilton said. “This subscription documents our journalism, and it's so we can have more people talking about City Hall, the local courts, the school district, more people in Sacramento and D.C. Canceling your subscription hurts the journalistic effort.”

The Times received up to 1,000 emails and letters protesting the disapproval by midday Monday. About 90% of them criticized the paper and its owner.

At least some readers called not publishing Harris the right move.

The owner of the Los Angeles Times, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong said he has decided not to encourage trying to ease the divisiveness surrounding the election.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

“A balanced approach is best,” writes Keith Hagaman, a real estate investor who lives in Marina del Rey and Hawaii. “Thank you to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, even if it's too late. If he had done this a few years ago, many subscribers would not have left.”

Lloyd del Llamas had years of experience with journalism as a city manager in several California cities. He praised Soon-Shiong for spending millions to support the Times and acknowledged that disillusioned readers also need to stand up or risk relying on the unscrutinized coverage provided by understaffed suburban newspapers around Southern California.

Terry Tang, senior editor, directs the newsroom that produces the Times' news pages. He also oversees the Opinion department, which includes the editorial board. The board, then chaired by literary editor Mariel Garza, tried to persuade Soon-Shiong to continue supporting Harris. A series explaining the dangers of Trump's middle name was also planned but never published.

“We understand that many readers are disappointed and angry that The Times did not accept the president's endorsement,” Tang said in a statement Monday. “We want our students to know that we really appreciate the trust they place in us and we work hard every day to earn that trust. But canceling subscriptions will hurt our ability to provide the strong journalism our communities rely on.”

Garza resigned due to the blocking of a pro-Harris editorial. He wrote in the Boston Globe on Monday that he suspected the owners of both papers did not want their business to be affected by a “retaliatory Trump administration.” Both denied that their businesses were involved in the decision.

The Atlantic published a critique by Robert Greene, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, who resigned along with Garza and columnist Karin Klein.

“In this year's races, the unbiased can ignore Trump's unfitness for office,” Greene wrote, “he has repeatedly demonstrated his dishonesty, his false claims that he won the 2020 election, his criminal convictions, his impeachable crimes, his race. -baiting, his threats of revenge against his opponents, and many other factors that make him a danger to the nation. “

The leaders of the union that represents the journalists of the Times also issued a new statement, saying that Soon-Shiong should go beyond what he wrote on social media and the previous words by saying “write an explanation to the students and staff explaining in detail how he came to this decision and what it might be.” it means future approval.”

Soon-Shiong told The Times on Friday that he has no regrets about the decision not to promote it. He did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Washington Post staff also urged readers not to cancel.

Post writer Dana Milbank was pleased with the owner's decision, which he said “gave the appearance of trepidation in the face of a dictator who wants to protect Bezos' business interests.” But he joined his colleagues in urging students not to abandon the newspaper because of the actions of the owner.

“Boycotting The Post will hurt me and my colleagues,” he wrote. “We lost $77 million last year, which was necessary[nother] The labor cycle cuts through the purchase. If expansion is cancelled, jobs will be lost, and good journalism will be reduced. … For all its faults, The Post remains one of the most powerful voices in preserving our democratic freedoms.”

Jennifer Mercieca, a political historian and communications professor at Texas A&M and author of the book “Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump,” said all the action in the final days before the polls close on Nov. 5 is raising new levels of anxiety among the party's fractious voters.

And for those who fear Trump, any sign he might have on powerful institutions is only a double whammy, Mercieca said.

“It wouldn't be an issue if you all just agreed,” she said. “No one would worry. But the fact that you chose not to tell – and people learn from that with fear. “

Times staff writer Kevin Rector contributed to this report.