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F. Scott Fitzgerald, observed in a story published in 1926: “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we". Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

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I read your excellent article in The Guardian. This piece is also excellent. AND, sad as hell! I unsubscribed from LA Times and WaPo this morning. I read Ruth Marcus and Karen Tumulty about this godawful decision. If trump is elected, I'll probably survive it. But people I care about and issues I care about will not. Guess I'll have to dust off my Member of the Resistance membership card! I really take "not obeying in advance" seriously. WTF??

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Oct 26Liked by Margaret Sullivan

Journalists can no longer trust billionaires to save them. In the end the bottom line will always triumph over decency and ethics. Ironically, the decisions by the owners of both the Post and the LA Times not to endorse have inspired far more media attention than the endorsements, if published, would have produced. So in a bizarre way, the larger public is more aware of what the editorial writers on those papers actually thought, and how spineless their bosses' bosses have become.

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Journalists could NEVER trust billionaires to save them. Every billionaire is corrupt to a greater or lesser extent. The fact of becoming a billionaire, be it by birth, through luck, or through actual hard work, is itself inherently corrupting ... corrupting to the point at which pretty much every billionaire would cheerfully betray our democratic republic in exchange for keeping their fortune, and quite a number already have.

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Margaret, I don’t really have much to add since you covered the cowardice and abject dereliction of duty quite clearly. I just want to add that I find the circling of the wagons by the DC press chiding those of us who have canceled our subscriptions beyond obnoxious. How else are we supposed to register our discontent. It feels like these high profile reporters are more interested in their bottom line than in what is happening at their places of work. The DC press is far too interested in navel gazing and making the story about themselves than any inward consideration in the role they’ve played in getting us to this point. Obviously I’m not looking to hurt anyone’s livelihood but my sympathy for the DC newscorps is pretty much zero.

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I haven’t seen anyone mention the first amendment yet? We can surmise that both Bezos and Soon-Shiong were influenced by the fact that a former (and potentially future) very powerful government leader has explicitly and repeatedly threatened the press with punishment if they don’t please him. The first amendment is supposed to protect the press from that exact scenario. Their cowardice is directly eroding a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.

I would suggest that Sulzberger’s more subtle machinations at NYT are similarly out of fear. His lengthy piece published in WaPo was swimming with fear of Trump while not honestly acknowledging criticisms of sanewashing, deprioritizing unfavorable stories, etc, that might be a product of that very fear.

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Oct 26Liked by Margaret Sullivan

How did I know this would be your response to the announcement? Because I know you as a dedicated and balanced journalist. Thank you for voicing what so many of us feel but do not have the influence nor reach that you have earned. Bravo, Margaret, and keep it up.

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Buying the Washington Post gave Jeff Bezos status in DC that he did not have as an ordinary billionaire. Now, to paraphrase Maya Angelou, he’s shown us who he is, philosophically, and we’d better believe him the first time.

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When you control the narrative, you control the world. These billionaires buy media organizations so they can exercise control, the madness of extreme wealth.

We are seeing that democracy can also be butchered in broad daylight.

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I read On Tyranny by Snyder when it was first published and the first lesson is Do not obey in advance. Thank you for emphasizing it and for calling out these 2 rich people for cowardice. They are cowards. As Snyder said, obeying in advance gives people like Trump permission to continue their bullying and takeover of our institutions.

I do wonder if the nerdy Bezos has been influenced by his current girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, of the Botox lips and overflowing boobs, whose brother has connections to Trump and Roger Stone.

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It was reported yesterday that Blue Origin, which Bezos owns, had top leaders meeting with Trump in Texas. We can't know, but it sure gives off the stink of ordinary corrupt currying of favor, on the assumption Trump will be calling the shots on space come January (let's hope not!).

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Oct 26·edited Oct 26

Robert Kagan, who quit WaPo yesterday over the quashing of the endorsement has told the Daily Beast that this Blue Origin meeting demonstrates the quit-pro-quo, particularly the timing. If there's a second source that can confirm the meeting did relate specifically to pulling the endorsement, it's a ground-quaking moment for the Post.

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I just cancelled my subscripion to the Washington Post -- it was only 99¢ a month, but I am appalled that they took this lowest of all roads. My cancellation won't hurt them financially, but it felt good to fill out the "contact us" information and let them know why I did it. I had fun using the phrase "deplorable decision" -- an historic nod to Hilary Clinton (not her finest moment) and an alliteration I couldn't resist

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I cancelled my subscription, too. I've seen a narrative that it doesn't hurt them to cancel but that's not true. When Trump won, they celebrated all of the new subscriptions. Bezos may or may not care if he loses subscribers, but voting with our pocketbooks is the best way to get his attention. And, also, VOTE on election day. :)

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With apologies to T. S. Eliot, this is how the freedom of the press dies: with a whimper, not a bang. Billionaire owners of two of the most prestigious newspapers in the country have capitulated to the threats of a fascist wannabe dictator and abdicated their privilege of endorsing a candidate for president. It matters little to those who care more about the thickness of their wallets than their public responsibilities. Their obeisance to the threats of he who would be king render them not just impotent to be the voice of the people but ill-suited be a force for good going forward. The political calculus for the billionaires was simple: if the facist wins, he punishes us. If he doesn’t, the new president will not be an adversary. So they shrink from their role as the fourth estate and focus on their bottom lines instead of the public interest. The sounds of cowardice coming from LA and DC 2024 are echos of Munich 1938.

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The secret of a great success for which you are at a loss to account is a crime that has never been found out, because it was properly executed: behind every great fortune is a great crime.

-- Honoré de Balzac

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As a WaPo subscriber for decades, I was heartbroken canceling my subscription last night.

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Oct 26Liked by Margaret Sullivan

Thank you Margaret. I too canceled my subscriptions to NYT and WaPo recently. I also cancelled my Prime membership. I know this is not going to hurt Bezos or NYT but more symbolic. I also completed my assignment today, and VOTED!

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Far too many of the rich in our country don't believe in democracy and are willing to support someone like trump. Whether it's fear of retaliation or fear of not getting contracts it's a poor excuse for endangering our country.

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The billionaire owners of the LA Times and WaPo are not only cowards, but greedy mega business owners who are protecting their assets i.e. contracts and business dealings with the government - the "pure, financial self-interest" you describe.

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