‘We Aren’t Afraid to Take a Stand’: Editorial Writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer Roasts LA Times And Washington Post For Not Endorsing

An editorial writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer took a shot at another newspaper for its refusal to endorse a presidential candidate.

The Inquirer on Friday published its endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. That endorsement notably came hours after The Washington Post announced its decision not to endorse anyone. It’s the first time the paper has chosen not to endorse a candidate in 36 years. In the non-endorsement piece, Washington Post publisher and CEO William Lewis said the paper is “returning to our roots” and will no longer endorse candidates moving forward.

The decision has been met with outrage among Post staffers, and at least one has resigned.

Days before, the LA Times announced it wouldn’t be endorsing a candidate either. It was later revealed that Patrick Soon-Shiong — the owner of the LA Times — refused to allow the editorial board to endorse Harris. As a result, multiple LA Times staffers have also quit.

The Inquirer was not subject to similar restrictions. The paper’s editorial board on Friday published its own endorsement of Harris, claiming “there has never been a more important presidential election in our lifetime.”

Daniel Pearson, an editorial writer for the Inquirer, took to social media to indirectly call out the papers that declined to make their own endorsements.

“Unlike some newspaper Editorial Boards,” Pearson said, “we aren’t afraid to take a stand, and we don’t have to get permission from rich schmucks before we write.”