More than 300 American outlets under USA Today parent company Gannett will not back candidates “in presidential or national races,” according to USA Today.
“None of the USA TODAY Network publications are endorsing in presidential or national races,” Lark-Marie Antón, a spokesperson for USA Today, said Monday in an email to The Hill.
On its website, Gannett describes the USA Today Network as “the largest local-to-national publishing and digital media organization in the country,” with “USA TODAY, our national flagship brand … at the center of the network, surrounded by hundreds of local media properties reporting on the stories and cultural moments happening in our communities.” According to a website for the network, it features over more than “local outlets reporting across America.”
Some of the outlets listed as part of the USA Today Network, include notable examples like the Arizona Republic, Des Moines Register and Detroit Free Press.
“While USA TODAY will not endorse for president, local editors at publications across the USA TODAY Network have the discretion to endorse at a state or local level,” Antón said in a different statement emailed to The Hill on Wednesday. “Many have decided not to endorse individual candidates, but rather, endorse key local and state issues on the ballot that impact the community.”
“Why are we doing this? Because we believe America’s future is decided locally – one race at a time,” Antón continued. “And with more than 200 publications across the nation, our public service is to provide readers with the facts that matter and the trusted information they need to make informed decisions.”
The Washington Post has faced backlash for its decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in this year’s election; according to a report from NPR citing two people aware of internal matters at the newspaper, the outlet has lost more than 200,000 digital subscriptions after that decision.
