Journalists Nervous Over Cancellations

Writers for the Washington Post have taken to social media in recent days to discourage irate readers from dropping their subscriptions after the paper announced it wouldn’t be endorsing any candidate for the 2024 presidential election. 

The Wall Street Journal reports the wave of customer defections after the controversial decision, which was made by owner Jeff Bezos, has further eroded an already shrunken base of Post subscribers and heightened feelings among some staff that the paper faces an existential crisis. 

“Please don’t cancel your subscriptions. It won’t impact Bezos – it hurts journalists and makes another round of layoffs more likely,” Amanda Morris, a Washington Post disability reporter, wrote on X. 

High-profile reporters and editors from the New York Times, the Atlantic and elsewhere joined the chorus on Tuesday and Wednesday, using the hashtag #WhyISubscribe on X to explain the journalistic value of the Washington Post’s newsroom. 

Upward of 250,000 people have canceled their Post subscriptions since the nonendorsement decision went public late last week, according to the Post’s own reporting Wednesday, citing documents and people familiar with the matter. 

A Post spokeswoman declined to comment on subscription numbers.