The Washington Post to no longer endorse a specific presidential candidate

[Anchor]

Let's take a look at the U.S. presidential race.

The Washington Post, which has supported a specific presidential candidate for decades, has announced that it will no longer do so.

In contrast, The New York Times has publicly declared its support for Vice President Harris.

This is reporter Park Il-jung.

[Report]

The Washington Post, a major daily newspaper in the U.S., has publicly supported Democratic candidates since 1976, except for 1988.

However, the newspaper has stated that it will no longer support a specific candidate.

Publisher and CEO William Lewis said in an opinion piece that the decision was "a return to the roots," emphasizing support of the "readers’ ability to make up their own minds" on who the next president should be.

This is in stark contrast to The New York Times, which has publicly declared its support for Democratic candidate Vice President Harris.

This announcement has led to immediate backlash, with some employees resigning and comments online about subscription cancellations.

[Robert Kagan/Former Opinion Editor of The Washington Post/Resignation: "Trump has threatened to go after Bezos's business. Bezos runs one of the largest companies in America. They have tremendously intricate relationships with the federal government."]

The controversy has intensified, especially after recent polls showed former President Trump tied with Vice President Harris in national support.

Some media outlets, including the AP, interpret that newspapers avoiding endorsements of presidential candidates is a recent trend aimed at not losing more readers in a challenging business environment.

Meanwhile, both Harris and Trump visited Texas simultaneously.

Introduced by pop star Beyonce, Harris focused on the issue of abortion rights, while Trump criticized Harris, claiming that she is not concerned about border issues because she is busy with celebrities.

This is Park Il-jung from KBS News in New York.