The journalistic world of the United States was blown up this Friday when it became known that The Washington Post would not support any candidate for the presidency. for the first time since the eighties. Media endorsement of a candidate, known as endorsement in English, it is common practice in the United States. The decision not to publish it came with the editorial supporting Democrat Kamala Harris ready. He was the owner of the historic capital – and second richest man in the world – Jeff Bezos, who stopped the publication with the argument that the newspaper will not support any candidate now or in the future. Since then, criticism of the decision has multiplied: both in the editorial office and by headline legends such as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who uncovered the Watergate scandal, one of the great investigations in history. of journalism. One of the first to react harshly against Bezos’s decision was Martin Baron (Tampa, Florida, 70 years old), director of the post during the first Trump Administration and when Bezos took control of the newspaper.
At the time of the conversation with EL PAÍS, on Friday morning, the decision of The Washington Post, but Baron, retired since he left the head in January 2021, already pointed out that the announcement of Los Angeles Times Not supporting any candidate was a sign of journalism’s weakness in the face of the possibility of the former president returning to the White House after the November 5 elections. Once the video call is over, he sends his opinion by email about the decision of the newspaper he directed.
Ask. What did you think that Washington Post not going to support any of the candidates?
Answer. It is cowardice, a moment of darkness with democracy as a victim. Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate his owner, Jeff Bezos, and other media owners. Disturbing cowardice in an institution famous for its bravery.
Q. Eight years after Trump’s first victory and facing a possible new triumphDo you think journalism in the United States is going through a good or bad time?
R. There is evidence of weakness, of fear among some sectors of the press, and others that indicate that the media has done a good job: they have investigated Trump’s team, in the way you want to implement your proposals. There are few voters who do not know the personality, character, or plans of the two candidates. Everything has been told. It’s amazing, because there are a lot of critics who say we haven’t done our job well enough. However, most of what we know is because it was published, in particular, in two media: Washington Post and The New York Times. His achievements must be recognized, despite the fact that there are many critics, mainly on the left, who will blame the traditional press if Trump wins.
The problem is that we cannot agree on how to determine the facts, because all the elements we use have been devalued: education, experience, knowledge and, above all, evidence. It is not only a problem of the press, but of society. How are we going to progress as a society if we cannot agree on how to determine a fact? Only 8% of adults in the United States consider The New York Times as one of your main sources of information; 3% in the case of The Washington Post. Less than 10% of readers of the Times They are considered conservative. The truth is that Trump’s followers are not getting their information through these media. They do it through Fox News, above all, and through the networks, Truth Social or Twitter (currently X). The owner of Twitter (Elon Musk) has been supporting Trump, lHe contributes 45 million dollars a month and promotes his campaign every day and almost all day. He represents the main distributor of fake news all over the world. He is always spreading baseless conspiracy theories.
Q. How do you think Elon Musk has influenced this campaign?
R. I think it has had a lot of impact, it has been effective for Trump. He has 200 million followers on Twitter, all users receive his posts. There is no other human being who can convey his opinion to so many people. Not only has it had a great impact, but will have a fairly important role in the Trump Administration if he wins the elections.
Q. What difference do you see between the coverage of this election and previous ones?
R. When Trump ran for president in 2015, he was a candidate unlike any we had seen before. We were not used to someone who criticized the press all the time, who threatened to indict his supposed political enemies and, above all, someone who was lying all the time, deceiving people. At that time we were reluctant to speak so frankly, because we were not used to it. I think everything has changed, because it is obvious that Trump continues to lie, he knows that he is not telling the truth and that he says some things to gain political advantage. Trump tries to create an environment in which voters do not know how to distinguish between truth and lies, and will continue to try to undermine the credibility of the press if he returns to the White House.
Q. What has the media not known how to do then?
R. It’s a complicated topic. The media’s approval rating had dropped before Trump’s arrival in politics. And it accelerated during his Administration, mainly due to his incessant criticism of the press. There are many people who think that he is their voice, that The elites have not done enough for them, they have not paid attention to their problems, to their expectations. They are worried about the high rate of inflation, which affects everyone, or about high fuel prices; There are also many people who think that the United States is spending too much money on the war in Ukraine. They think Trump understands their lives better. And, as in other countries, in the United States there is an alarming decline in support for democracy. And yes, I think we have to do self-criticism too. We made the mistake, before Trump ran for president, of not understanding the political environment in the country well enough. We didn’t understand the concerns of a large portion of the American people. We did not understand that they held so much resentment and grievance against the traditional media. We do not anticipate a candidate like Donald Trump. I think we have to think deeply about that failure. We have an obligation to cover all people, understand their struggles. Also in some corners of the traditional media there is too much activism on the part of journalists, and it is important that we avoid contempt or being condescending to people.
Q. In the face of what seems like constant negative coverage of Trump for his behavior, how do you think you can avoid false balance with Harris and being unfairly negative about her?
R. Voters have the right to know the policies of the two candidates, to know their history. No candidate should run for president without waiting for an analysis, an investigation of his performance. All politicians must be held accountable. Sebastian Junger, the journalist who wrote The perfect storm He said that a true journalist must sacrifice his own opinions for the facts. We have an obligation to unearth the facts, regardless of the candidate and regardless of our political preferences. We must maintain our independence and be faithful to the core values of our profession. We must not be allies of a party, but of the truth, of the facts. And we have the obligation, obviously, to put them in context. It is up to the people to make the decision about the future of the country. The press does not have control over the future of the country. We have an obligation to give the public the information they need and deserve to know. However, there is a big difference between the two candidates. There is a candidate who believes in the democratic system and another who has drawn political lines of an autocratic nature; there is no doubt that he is a would-be autocrat. He admires dictators from other countries, like Orbán, Erdogan, Putin.
Q. How close can the United States be to losing its democracy if Trump wins the presidency again?
R. There is a great danger because we have to think about what Trump has already done. He incited an insurrectionary mob on January 6, 2021. They stormed the Capitol, a symbol of democracy in the United States, to overturn the election results. And what did Trump do? Nothing, with the exception of inciting his followers. A new presidency could put American democracy in check.
Q. How to regain trust in journalism with leaders who do not want to know anything about the facts?
R. It is a problem that is not going to be solved in the short term. We have to cover all people honestly, impartially and independently. We should never have contempt for anyone, nor condescension. Regardless of their political positions. We need a policy of radical transparency in our work. That is to say, when we refer to a judicial document, we should give that document to the public so that they can see that we are not taking it out of context. The same with a video, with an audio, or the origin of the data. We have to show readers that they have the right and opportunity to check out our work. We have to show, not just tell.
