On the Washington Post and LA Times -- from The Guardian [View all]

[erronis]

Just received this. I've been contributing to their excellent work for several years. I will try to do a bit more.

Betsy Reed
Editor, Guardian US

Editor

Dear Guardian reader,

In the past 72 hours, two of America’s largest newspapers have declined to endorse a candidate for president in this election. The LA Times and the Washington Post both have a tradition of issuing editorial endorsements, but in this most consequential of contests for our country, they have chosen to sit on the sidelines of democracy and not alienate any candidate.

Something these two papers have in common? They both have billionaire owners who could face retaliation in a Trump presidency.

It has never been clearer that media ownership matters to democracy. The Guardian is not billionaire-owned; nor do we have shareholders. We are supported by readers and owned by The Scott Trust, which guarantees our editorial independence in perpetuity. Nobody influences our journalism. We are fiercely independent and accountable only to you, our readers.

We need to raise $2m in order to keep up our momentum next year. Your ongoing support has helped us enormously. Are you able to spare anything again today?

The stakes of this election could not be higher. Fearless journalism and an informed public are bedrocks of our democracy, and it is an abdication of our duty as journalists to sit out this election out of self-interest. A Guardian editorial strongly endorsed Kamala Harris for president earlier this week – and we are unafraid of any potential consequences.

Please help protect the truly free press by contributing to the Guardian today.
Make a one-time contribution

Yours,
Betsy Reed
Editor, Guardian US