Washington Post update: Subscriber deficit after non-endorsement reaches a quarter million

The Washington Post has lost at least 250,000 subscribers since announcing last Friday that it would not endorse a candidate for president — roughly 10 percent of its digital following, the newspaper reported Wednesday.

The Post would not officially confirm that figure, saying it was a private corporation, but it was reported in a narrative in the newspaper that cited documents and two unnamed sources who were familiar with the figures. Another non-endorsement last week has caused thousands of Los Angeles Times readers to cancel subscriptions, although not nearly at the Post’s level.

One journalism historian, Jon Marshall at Northwestern University, said he had a challenging period recalling a comparable response, although a boycott of the Arkansas Gazette when it supported the integration of Little Rock schools in 1957 expense that newspaper more than $20 million in today’s dollars.

The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, said presidential endorsements make a perception of bias at the newspaper while having little real influence on how readers vote. His said his only remorse was making the selection known when passions are heated so close to Election Day; the document’s editorial staff had reportedly prepared an endorsement of Democrat Kamala Harris.

“A lot of people would have forgotten about the Harris endorsement slated to run in the newspaper,” the Post’s media critic, Erik Wemple, wrote. “Few will overlook about the selection not to publish it.”

The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, told employees in a staff conference that there were “several positive days” of recent subscribers signing up, although he didn’t mention any numbers, the newspaper reported.

Some of the Post’s angry digital readers have also already paid for a year’s access, and will retain that until their subscriptions expire.

“After another month or so, the election will have ended, and there may be people who declare that ‘I require the Post more than they require me’ and arrive back,” said Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at the Poynter Institute.

The Post also saw a large boost in subscribers during Donald Trump’s presidency from people attracted to the newspaper’s aggressive coverage, raising the possibility of a repeat if the man that the newspaper wasn’t prepared to endorse is returned to office.

In the meantime, Edmonds said, “it’s very impoverished.” After losing readers during the Biden administration, the Post had reportedly seen positive signs of growth — until this week.

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David Bauder writes about media for the AP. pursue him at http://x.com/dbauder.