If you’re not following politics, you might have missed that the Washington Post opted not to endorse anyone in this year’s presidential election. Most people expected the Post to endorse Kamala Harris, and there was quite the backlash, with over 200,000 people canceling their subscriptions over the move.
Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post, made this decision, and he explained it in an op-ed. His explanation is something that all business leaders need to pay attention to.
So, just for a moment, set aside your feelings about the upcoming election, and consider his advice in the broader context. Bezos says survey data show that people trust journalists less than they trust Congress, and says, “Something we are doing is clearly not working.”
He then gives an analogy that explains the problem journalists face:
To keep reading click here: Jeff Bezos’ Advice to the Washington Post Shows the Emotional Intelligence that All Business Leaders Need
“If you do an employee engagement survey, you’ll get quality, accurate answers only if the employees believe you will act on that information.”
Where I work, an engagement survey is done every 4 to 6 months. Compliance is poor where only 30 to 50% submit answers. My co-workers apathy comes from it making no difference. This speaks louder than any of the answers.
Could not disagree more, Suzanne. Bezos is the publisher of this newspaper. His job is to enforce standards for fairness, provide his staff with the tools they need to do their jobs, and to stick up for his staff when they are under assault.
With this action, he is saying, “People don’t trust journalists, and neither do I.” This is cowardly and wrong of him. And it’s no coincidence that this is happening now.
Journalism is not broken. People are. Many are losing their ability to reason, separate fact from fiction, distinguish wishful thinking from reality, identify lies, fake images and propaganda when they see it, and educate themselves about things that are important to them.
At this time, we need voices like the Post’s more than ever. The paper’s motto is “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” We are about to see that come to pass in our lifetimes, I believe.