Publications owned by hedge fund Alden Global Capital, the nation’s second-largest newspaper publisher, will no longer endorse major political candidates on their op-ed pages.
In an op-ed set to appear in newspapers as early as Friday, the company’s publications will tell readers it will stop supporting presidential, senatorial and gubernatorial candidates.
A copy of the editorial was obtained by The New York Times. Alden has confirmed its content and timing.
“Unfortunately, as public discourse has grown increasingly acrimonious, common ground has become no man’s land between the forces clashing in the culture wars,” according to a copy of the intended editorial.
“At the same time, with misinformation and misinformation on the rise, readers are often confused, especially online, about the differences between news reports, opinion pieces and editorials.”
Alden Global Capital owns approximately 200 newspapers in the United States, including The Chicago Tribune, The New York Daily News and The Denver Post. Only Gannett, which owns USA Today and other newspapers, operates more.
The editorial should be published in newspapers that had traditionally supported candidates, and not in all Alden Group newspapers, according to a person familiar with the plan.
Newspapers in the United States, including the New York Times, have a long tradition of supporting candidates. But in recent years, some media outlets have questioned the practice or decided to abandon it altogether. The Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia said the 2018 cycle would be the last. Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, McClatchy, a major newspaper chain, said its newspapers would not do an endorsement unless they interviewed both candidates.
Three Alden newspapers – The Baltimore Sun, The Chicago Tribune and The Denver Post – will be allowed to continue their mentions this season due to the stage of the process and because they are considered state newspapers officials, the person said. . These newspapers will announce after this election cycle that they will end this practice, according to the person familiar with the company’s plan.
The editorial said newspapers would continue to cover political races but would “no longer endorse presidential races or the increasingly nationalized contests for governor and senate.”
“We want to make sure our opinion pages advance healthy and productive public discourse,” he said. “With that in mind, we will focus our efforts on more local contests, such as city councils, school boards, local initiatives, referendums and similar issues, which readers have told us continue to be d ‘of great value in their daily lives.’