I thought you'd be interested in this exchange. I wrote a letter to the SD U-T and got a response from Chris Reed.
Thanks.
David Morrison
1. My Letter
The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board has declined to make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race.
It's possible that the board couldn't decide between the pro-democracy candidate and the anti-democracy candidate.
More likely, the U-T board made the same determination that the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times did.
Quoting Margaret Sullivan of the Guardian:
"There’s no way to see this decision other than as an appalling display of cowardice and a dereliction of their public duty."
To the U-T editorial board, keep in mind the historian Timothy Snyder’s first rule of opposing tyranny: "Do not obey in advance".
David Morrison
Del Cerro
2. Chris Reed's response:
Dear Mr. Morrison:
Your facts are wrong.
The newspaper's new owner made clear in July 2023 that it only wanted endorsements in local and state races as it downsized our staff and our available pages.
As such, an endorsement in the presidential race was never discussed. The endorsements we have made, including of Democrats for key city and county positions on the ballot, have not been influenced in any way by the owner. We have often taken different positions on state issues than our sister papers.
If you discern a pro-Trump tilt in our decision-making, that is your right. I find that hard to fathom, but in this binary era, I know that a single perceived offense is often enough to declare an individual or institution to be "cowardly."
Hi, Doug,
I thought you'd be interested in this exchange. I wrote a letter to the SD U-T and got a response from Chris Reed.
Thanks.
David Morrison
1. My Letter
The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board has declined to make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race.
It's possible that the board couldn't decide between the pro-democracy candidate and the anti-democracy candidate.
More likely, the U-T board made the same determination that the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times did.
Quoting Margaret Sullivan of the Guardian:
"There’s no way to see this decision other than as an appalling display of cowardice and a dereliction of their public duty."
To the U-T editorial board, keep in mind the historian Timothy Snyder’s first rule of opposing tyranny: "Do not obey in advance".
David Morrison
Del Cerro
2. Chris Reed's response:
Dear Mr. Morrison:
Your facts are wrong.
The newspaper's new owner made clear in July 2023 that it only wanted endorsements in local and state races as it downsized our staff and our available pages.
As such, an endorsement in the presidential race was never discussed. The endorsements we have made, including of Democrats for key city and county positions on the ballot, have not been influenced in any way by the owner. We have often taken different positions on state issues than our sister papers.
If you discern a pro-Trump tilt in our decision-making, that is your right. I find that hard to fathom, but in this binary era, I know that a single perceived offense is often enough to declare an individual or institution to be "cowardly."
Sincerely,
Chris Reed