Readers are voicing their frustration with the Washington Post, claiming the newspaper has abandoned its core principles, as some cancel their subscriptions in “disgust and disappointment.” In the aftermath of the paper’s historic decision not to endorse a candidate for the first time in over 30 years, staff members are appealing to the public to retain their subscriptions. The controversy arose in light of the editorial board’s announcement on Friday, just weeks ahead of the presidential election, that it would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

Publisher and CEO Will Lewis articulated the newspaper’s shift back to its tradition of refraining from endorsements, stating, “We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.”

However, this decision has sparked outrage among liberal readers, leading to a wave of cancellations. Many expressed their feelings in letters to the editor, calling the announcement a “disappointment, disgust, and despair.” Michele Kilpatrick from Philadelphia remarked that this decision should be “remembered with shame” as it exemplifies an institution that fails to uphold its principles when it truly matters.

Opinions among readers varied; while some viewed the move as a “small, but prudent step toward sanity,” others felt “deeply, fundamentally saddened” but not surprised. The dissent also reverberated among current and former staff members, many of whom shared critiques of the decision. Following the announcement, the newspaper’s cartoon team published a provocative image that seemed to mock the Post’s long-held motto, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

Emerging details indicated that executives from Amazon’s aerospace company met with Donald Trump on the same day the Washington Post hindered its editorial team from endorsing his opponent in the upcoming election. Notable journalistic figures like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who famously uncovered the Watergate scandal, lamented that this choice disregarded the newspaper’s substantial investigative evidence regarding the risks Trump poses to democracy, describing it as especially surprising given how close it is to the election.

Caroline Kitchener, a reporter covering abortion issues, shared on social media that her mother had canceled her subscription and encouraged others to do the same. “I completely understand if you’ve lost faith in our owner, but please, don’t lose faith in us,” she pleaded. Carol Leonnig, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, expressed concern that this might indicate a troubling deference to a political candidate, ultimately jeopardizing unbiased reporting.

Other news organizations are seizing the opportunity to capitalize on the Washington Post’s controversial decision, which prompted high-profile figures like author Stephen King to publicly denounce the newspaper and cancel their subscriptions. Margaret Sullivan, a columnist for the Guardian US, described the decision as “an appalling display of cowardice and a dereliction of their public duty.”

In the wake of the announcement, the New York Times reiterated its endorsement of Kamala Harris and released an explanatory video from opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury, emphasizing the newspaper’s consistent stance that Donald Trump is “temperamentally and morally unfit to be president.”

The Boston Globe remarked that “democracy died in broad daylight on Friday” as Bezos seemingly thwarted the editorial board’s endorsement of Harris. Former Washington Post editor Marty Baron critiqued the decision as “cowardice” and a “moment of darkness” for democracy itself.