In existential election for American democracy, media endorsing candidates is part of the problem

The decades-old tradition of US newspapers endorsing presidential candidates makes a mockery of the democratic ideal of an independent media and has contributed to a gradual erosion in the trust of the media. It does a disservice to the readership and to the reporters, whose work, regardless of its quality, becomes a little less trusted.

Elections are not just about the candidate, they are about the voters who must feel they have a source of information they can trust to help them navigate through the election noise. They don’t need to be told what to do. They need to have information they can trust to decide their choice.

I know the outrage over the Washington Post’s refusal to endorse a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections is about Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and his perceived affiliation with former US President Donald Trump.

But what of the LA Times?

Nika Soon-Shiong, whose family owns the LA Times, says the paper did not endorse Kamala Harris because of her stand on the war on Gaza. It had nothing to do with Trump.

But this raging controversy has everything to do with the value of an independent media and also the real dangers to democracy by continuing to ignore it –...

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