Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post's decision to not endorse, saying Americans mistrust the media

Jeff Bezos on Monday defended the Washington Post's decision not to endorse a presidential candidate as "principled," with the billionaire founder of Amazon.com arguing Americans believe the media is biased. Bezos, who bought the newspaper in 2013, also pushed back against any notion that he ordered it up to protect his business interests.

On Friday, the Washington Post's publisher, William Lewis, said the newspaper would not endorse a presidential candidate in this year's election or in future elections, a stance that sparked outrage from and some of its current and former employees, as well as subscribers.  

In the aftermath of the decision, tens of thousands of readers reportedly canceled their subscriptions, while one-third of The Post's editorial board resigned, according to the Post. The Post's editorial staff was prepared to endorse Democrat Kamala Harris before Lewis wrote instead that it would be better for readers to make up their own minds.