Stephen King cancels Washington Post subscription as Paper faces setback

Author Stefan King announced on Friday that he was canceling his subscription The Washington Post while the newspaper is facing backlash for not supporting a presidential candidate this election.

In an op-ed published Friday morningthe To inform CEO and publisher William Lewis wrote that the newspaper would not endorse vice president Kamala Harris nor former president Donald Trump this election. The newspaper has regularly endorsed presidential candidates since 1976, when it endorsed the former president Jimmy Carter.

King, a frequent critic of Trump, posted on X (earlier Tweet) later that day that “(a) after 5 years I canceled my subscription to the Washington Post.” He did not give a reason for the decision, but he did share again a separate post on friday criticizing the To inform decision not to support a political candidate.

Several Harris supporters have spoken out since Lewis’ op-ed, which stated that the newspaper was “returning to our roots of not supporting presidential candidates” and would not endorse in future elections. He added in the editorial that the task of the After was to “provide unbiased news for all Americans through the newsroom, and thought-provoking, reported views from our opinion team to help our readers make up their minds.”

A few hours after Lewis’ op-ed was published, the After reported on the decisionand said that the paper’s editorial page staffers had “drafted” an endorsement of Harris but were unable to publish it, according to two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The same sources said the decision not to publish Harris’ endorsement “was made by That of the Post owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,” the report said.

Bezos, a billionaire, bought it After in August 2013. Trump was repeatedly critical of the newspaper during his tenure in the White House, and the After The editors supported Democratic candidates over Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Kathy Baird, the To inform Chief Communications Officer, said in a statement published by the newspaper: “This was a Washingtonpost decide not to approve it, and I refer you to the publisher’s full statement.”

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the After focused Newsweek to Baird’s statement.

Newsweek contacted Amazon’s press team via email seeking comment from Bezos.

Former editor-in-chief of the After, Martin Baron, tore the newspaper in a message to X on Friday, writing that the decision not to support a presidential candidate was “cowardice, with democracy as the victim.” The Washington Post Guild also released a statement saying it was “deeply concerned” by the decision, adding that within two hours of Lewis’ op-ed, “we are already seeing cancellations from once-loyal readers.”

Film director Paul Feig also criticized the film After on Friday, write to X“Great, another billionaire protecting his own self-interest instead of the country’s. Nice knowing you, @washingtonpost. Canceled subscription.”

Keith Boykin, former White House assistant to the president Bill ClintonAlso posted on X“I have subscribed to the Washington Post since 1993, but I canceled my subscription today because the newspaper abdicated its duty to support a candidate in the most consequential election of my lifetime. Good riddance.”

The After is the second major American newspaper in recent days not to support a presidential candidate. The Los Angeles Times announced earlier this week that it would not give approval either. People familiar with the matter have said that the newspaper’s editorial staff was allegedly blocked by its owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, a billionaire who owned the paper. Los Angeles Times since 2018.

The Los Angeles Times’ editorial editor Mariel Garza resigned following the newspaper’s decision to withhold an endorsement for Harris. Two more editors – Karin Klein and Robert Greene – also stepped down this week.

Harris has been endorsed by the editors of The New York Times And The Boston sphere. Trump was supported by the New York Post on Friday.