Etiquette



DP Etiquette

First rule: Don't be a jackass.

Other rules: Do not attack or insult people you disagree with. Engage with facts, logic and beliefs. Out of respect for others, please provide some sources for the facts and truths you rely on if you are asked for that. If emotion is getting out of hand, get it back in hand. To limit dehumanizing people, don't call people or whole groups of people disrespectful names, e.g., stupid, dumb or liar. Insulting people is counterproductive to rational discussion. Insult makes people angry and defensive. All points of view are welcome, right, center, left and elsewhere. Just disagree, but don't be belligerent or reject inconvenient facts, truths or defensible reasoning.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

WaPo columnists respond to Bezos' tacit endorsement of Trump

Tens of thousands of people are angry at Jeff Bezos' decision to not endorse Harris. A group of 17 WaPo columnists published their response:
The Washington Post’s decision not to make an endorsement in the presidential campaign is a terrible mistake. It represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love. This is a moment for the institution to be making clear its commitment to democratic values, the rule of law and international alliances, and the threat that Donald Trump poses to them — the precise points The Post made in endorsing Trump’s opponents in 2016 and 2020. There is no contradiction between The Post’s important role as an independent newspaper and its practice of making political endorsements, both as a matter of guidance to readers and as a statement of core beliefs. That has never been more true than in the current campaign. An independent newspaper might someday choose to back away from making presidential endorsements. But this isn’t the right moment, when one candidate is advocating positions that directly threaten freedom of the press and the values of the Constitution.
That is the entire response. Some comments that readers are making to the non-endorsement decision:

There is a larger picture here. American democracy is in serious, serious jeopardy. This isn't a slow-running coup any longer and it isn't just for Trump's benefit either. The world's oligarchs are all in now on this fascist takeover now. If America falls to these people, the rest of the world will soon follow. Our defense begins with defeating Trump and all Republicans soundly. But, this is a world-wide movement by the very, very rich. Removing Trump is just a start. Buckle up.

I just canceled my subscription. I never thought I would see the day when WaPo would be intimidated by the far right and not have the guts to endorse the candidate they know is best. I'm done. I will never read this paper again.

Don't care how you try to justify it. During a 'normal' election, the stakes wouldn't be so high, the danger to our country so plain to see. How there can be any question of neutrality when one of the candidates is so patently unfit? You coward, Bezos! Subscription already canceled.

I live in Los Angeles where we were stunned and angered by the decision of the LA Times not to endorse in this critical election and I come here as a longtime reader and subscriber of WaPo similarly stunned and angered by this paper's decision to do the same. Returning to your "origins"? How stupid do you think we are? As a wise friend of mine said when she heard about this, that's exactly how fascism works. ....

If you can't make a considered and thoughtful decision between these two candidates and then tell us your answer, why would we listen to anything else you have to say? Goodbye WaPo

I have been reading the Washington Post for over 60 years, even after moving to Canada over two decades ago. No more. The Bezos-imposed decision to not endorse a candidate in this consequential presidential election is a total abdication of journalistic and editorial responsibility in a democracy. I have canceled my subscription, effective immediately. Dr. Tommie Sue Montgomery, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
 
There are tens of thousands of comments like that. People are really angry.

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