Like Rats on a Sinking Ship: Why so Many Newspapers Are Refusing to Endorse Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris lives in California and works in Washington, D.C. And over the past few days, California’s biggest newspaper and D.C’s biggest newspaper both decided to withhold their endorsements of her candidacy for president.
And they aren’t alone: In 2016, over 240 newspapers formally endorsed Hillary Clinton. (Only 20 endorsed the eventual winner, Donald Trump.)
Four years later, fewer than 14 endorsed Trump. That was an awfully big drop…
…but not nearly as big as the drop between the past two female Democratic candidates:
The Democratic Party went from 240+ newspaper endorsements for Hillary Clinton in 2016 — to only 80 for Kamala Harris in 2024!
That’s an oddly Satanic 66.6% drop.
The Los Angeles Times is a liberal publication, as is The Washington Post. Ideologically, they’re simpatico with Harris-Walz, just like they were with Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama — all of whom received their endorsements. And it’s not like Kamala Harris has a history of scandals (à la Clinton), is overaged (à la Biden), or is a D.C. newbie (à la Obama).
So if it’s not ideology, scandal, personal limitations, or a lack of experience… what gives?!
First, it’s not a certainty that ideology played no role whatsoever. As my esteemed PJ Media colleagues Rick Moran and Matt Margolis so eloquently pointed out, the daughter of Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who owns the L.A. Times, is a pro-Palestinian supporter and/or agitator. Her Twitter/X handle includes the Palestinian flag and she’s transparently, unabashedly anti-Israel. Like many leftists, she’s furious at the Biden-Harris approach to the Middle East.
Among her recent tweets:
Meanwhile, the L.A. Times had no qualms endorsing uber-liberal Adam Schiff’s candidacy to the Senate. Hmm…
But either way, that’s just one newspaper — and just one situation. And this is a two-thirds collapse in newspaper support from coast to coast! Obviously, what’s going on nationwide is deeper than one billionaire’s daddy-daughter relationship.
Part of the explanation is marketplace attrition: There are simply fewer newspapers around. Their economic model has traditionally depended on ad revenue, and there’s just not enough to keep everyone afloat. In 2017, newspaper ad buys reached $10.34 billion. In 2024, it’s roughly $5.03 billion.
Fewer newspapers in the market mean fewer newspapers to offer endorsements. Lots of jobs have vanished. These are dark days in the newspaper industry.
For all the talk from The Washington Post about “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” you know what else gets really dark? Your newsroom if you can’t pay the bills! And that’s been happening to newsrooms all over the country.
But the rest of the explanation is far more interesting: Newspapers need their endorsements to be meaningful because they’re an extension of their reputation. It’s their stamp of approval — their name on the line. For their endorsement to be meaningful, it requires the perception of value.
And the fastest way to devalue your endorsement is to endorse a loser.
When the writing’s on the wall and those “dark days” the WaPo warned us of are coming, it’s CYA time. Liberal politics are fine and good, but sometimes the bottom line IS the bottom line.
What’s happening right now is basic reputational management.
When it comes to gathering the latest data, facts, stats, polling info, and trendlines for Harris-Walz, the two most connected groups in the world are the Democratic Party (campaign organization), and America’s newsrooms.
We already know what’s going on with Kamala’s campaign staff: Leaks galore. The floodgates opened a few days ago, and there’s not a plumber in sight.
And who do you think those staffers were leaking to?!
Like rats fleeing a sinking ship, the mainstream media is scurrying away from the Harris campaign. First, her staffers ratted her out, and now the rats are leaving the rat race.
If the newspaper industry was more secure, perhaps endorsements would be more forthcoming. But when you’re as poor as a church mouse, you just can’t afford to play cat and mouse with your reputation.
And that’s why the media isn’t taking the cheese.
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