Turns out, voters who have democracy in their shopping carts also like fair, balanced endorsements of political candidates.
How else to explain that, in the days since Washington Post (and Amazon) owner Jeff Bezos spiked the newspaper鈥檚 endorsement of Kamala Harris, more than a quarter-million readers have canceled their digital subscriptions?
鈥淚f there is something upbeat about this, it鈥檚 that this made the news鈥攖hat people are more aware of the inner workings of journalism under corporate leadership, and the struggles journalists face in this environment,鈥� said Vicky Sama, an associate teaching professor of journalism听in the College of Media, Communication and Information at CU Boulder.
Vicky Sama
Sama, a First Amendment expert who covered war, elections and cartels in Latin America as a producer with CNN before moving into teaching, studies press freedom, media education and ethics, and similar topics. She said she was surprised, if not shocked, by the brazenness with which the wealthy businessmen who own the Post and Los Angeles Times squashed their papers鈥� endorsements in the days before Election Day.
鈥淭ypically, the press is worried about how the government might impede its freedoms to report and obtain access,鈥� Sama said. 鈥淏ut in this case, we鈥檙e dealing with the corporate boss. To have that resistance come from within your own company is quite concerning.鈥�
The effect an endorsement has on a candidate鈥檚 performance in the polls isn鈥檛 always clear, but those editorials play an important role in helping readers understand the context around important issues of the day.
That鈥檚 especially true in this election cycle, Sama said, as journalists have struggled to label and describe Donald Trump accurately while acting as gatekeepers against a flood of digitally driven disinformation.
鈥淪omeone needs to sift through all of the weeds and tell us what鈥檚 really going on, and for most newspapers, that鈥檚 the opinion pages,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he editorial sections of newspapers serve a critical role in our democracy by offering explanation, by giving context, by telling you, you should worry about this. You should be concerned about this.鈥�
Most consumers of news know there鈥檚 a firewall separating the business and reporting sides of the house. The opinion pages, too, live independently from the newsgathering operation, but the same journalistic principles and ethics apply. When extremely wealthy owners like Bezos or Patrick Soon-Shiong, of the Los Angeles Times, kill these kinds of pieces, it calls into question how the publication can remain an independent watchdog.
鈥淏ezos isn鈥檛 following journalism principles,鈥� Sama said. 鈥淗e saved the Post when he bought it in 2013, but he doesn鈥檛 know the practice of journalism. He鈥檚 a businessman.鈥�
The great irony in all this, Sama said, is that both papers鈥� support for Harris was all but assured, based on already published opinion coverage warning of the danger Trump poses to democracy.
鈥淭he fact that they killed their endorsements for Kamala Harris made it a bigger story than if they actually went ahead and endorsed her,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his turned almost a nonstory into an issue that鈥檚 been covered by media critics for a week now, and literally across the country.鈥�
A savvy journalist probably would have seen that coming. It鈥檚 one reason Sama would relish the idea of having Bezos visit one of her classes, which cover media law, ethics and key principles of reporting.
鈥淚 would love to show him something about the ethics and principles of journalism, and make him understand, from the journalist鈥檚 side, what the impacts are when a wealthy business owner gets involved in newsroom decisions,鈥� she said.
鈥淏ut of course, money talks鈥攁nd if he鈥檚 going to lose billions of dollars by saying the wrong thing about Trump, I don鈥檛 think any principles will make him understand what鈥檚 at stake beyond his bottom line.鈥�
