At the Dealbook conference in New York last week, Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post and multi-billionaire founder of Amazon, gave a very favourable assessment of Donald Trump's upcoming second term. "I am very hopeful... he seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation," beamed Bezos.
It was surprising, then, that the Washington Post did not endorse Trump in its pre-election editorial. Instead the writers crafted an endorsement of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris which Bezos killed, in his first act of blatant editorial interference since he bought the title in 2013. In a Post article Bezos rationalised his decision as being an attempt to restore trust in the press with what he called "independence" - a type of independence which clearly does not extend to damping down public flattery. The headline, run with Bezos's approval, was 'The Hard Truth: Why Americans Don't Trust the News Media'. Bezos invoked the past of the American press, its historic non-endorsement of candidates and a return to some past notion of "objectivity" as being a fix for his news organisation's woes.
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, had already emulated Bezos by stopping the LA Times editorial board from running a presidential endorsement. Soon-Shiong, appearing on the Republican commentator Scott Jennings' radio show, said that he had been working on an AI-powered "bias meter" which will appear on LA Times articles from January. The motivation was that the medical tech billionaire said he had begun to see his own news title as "an echo chamber and not a trusted source".
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin December 14, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin December 14, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Amorim 'never' spoke to City about replacing Guardiola
New Manchester United head coach is preparing for his first derby tomorrow against the wounded champions
Latest figures show UK economy shrinks again
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the unexpected fall in GDP was driven by declines in construction and production, while the dominant services sector stagnated.
Manager is 'sad' for his players as toll mounts
Pep Guardiola is feeling the pain of Manchester City's crushing loss of form but insists \"the soul and the spirit of this team is there.\"
10 things to look out for this weekend
A Manchester derby at a bad time for both teams, managers with shared values and Forest's European dream
Tuchel to sound out 'gentleman' Southgate for qualification tips
New England coach to seek out predecessor and Carsely for 2026 World Cup guidance
I'm not going to worry about bruised egos - we're in a fight
Ange Postecoglou Spurs manager says Werner blast a call to arms
Littler sets sights on glory after 'crazy' year
Teenage superstar hopes to go one better after his remarkable run to the final of the World Championship
Phil Vickery: 'I'm not angry, I'm not bitter, but I will need help
The former England captain on CTE, legal action and a 21-year reunion for the 2003 World Cup winners
'Multiple bids' for stakes in Hundred sides, ECB chief says
The England and Wales Cricket Board is increasingly confident of selling lucrative stakes in all eight Hundred teams, harnessing money it believes will safeguard the county game for the next quarter of a century.
Can billionaire media moguls be trusted in America?
If we want to know what news organisations will look like under the second Trump administration in America, well, we are beginning to get an idea.