Noise #179: A damaging choice and tone-deaf defense

Music in response to Jeff Bezos' decision to block the Washington Post's presidential endorsement.

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos made the 11th hour decision that his paper would not issue a presidential endorsement—a move that smelled of bias and fear.

I was eager to read Bezos’ op-ed, published in the Post, that explained his reasoning. Perhaps he had thoughtful arguments I wasn’t aware of, or new data that informed the wisdom of his choice.

Nope. Bezos’s op-ed is one of the most tone deaf crash-and-burns I’ve read in a newspaper.

The piece comes across as defiant and petulant, childishly argued and gracelessly written. Bezos does not seem to understand that public messaging works cumulatively, that the Post’s endorsement (or lack thereof) doesn’t exist in an informational vacuum. He does not understand that mistrust of legitimate news sources is a decades-long problem, nurtured and exacerbated by repeated distortions from the conservative right, and that his decision is unlikely to positively impact anything. He does not acknowledge that by opting out of an endorsement, he has alienated large portions of the Post’s core readership, eroded trust in its iconic brand, and caused the paper to hemorrhage subscribers as a result.

The whole thing reads like an attempt by Bezos to convince himself that he made his decision for noble reasons. The more vehemently he states and restates his tissue-paper arguments, the more self-delusional he seems.

(I applaud the staff of the Post for choosing to edit this piece with an obviously light touch, thereby allowing their boss to present his thoughts unvarnished.)

I grew up adoring The Washington Post, so it hurts to see the paper misused like this. Noise #179 channels my admiration for committed journalists who treat their responsibility to the public with honor and gravity. The music also expresses my sadness that people like Bezos can possess so much influence—and yet have so little clue about how to use it.

I hope you enjoy Noise #179:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #179 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)