Fewer Newspapers Are Electing To Endorse Political Candidates

Voters cast their ballots at the Ohio Union at The Ohio State University on November 8, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Newspaper endorsements are on the decline in American politics with less newspapers than ever endorsing a canindate in the 2022 midterm elections. ANDREW SPEAR/GETTY IMAGES

This election, fewer news outlets have elected to endorse candidates for national office than ever before.

This non-endorsement trend has been accelerating since 2012, when 23 of the 100-largest newspapers by circulation chose not to endorse a candidate for president. At the time, that was a record. In prior presidential elections, fewer than 10 of the largest papers failed to support a presidential candidate. Some thought it was an outlier, but it turned out to be the start of a trend. Non-endorsing newspapers climbed to 26 of the top 100 in 2016 and 44 in 2020, according to Joshua Benton, writing for NeimanLab.org, a journalism think tank.