Should newspapers’ opinion pages or editorial boards regularly endorse presidential candidates?

👍 Yes (30%) – "By definition, editorial boards are designed to take opinions on important issues in the news be it local, regional or national. What could be more consequential to a national newspaper than the national election? If these outlets opine on other less meaningful issues, there is no excuse for not publishing an editorial about the national election."

• "Journalist do investigate work that keep politicians accountable and reviews both their progress and how what they say is consistent with what they do. Endorsing a candidate based on that work is of high value to the public, who can only rely on what politicians say and what little they have seen them do in their already busy lives with other priorities."

"The fact that they both have regularly endorsed candidates in the past and given reasoned analysis for those endorsements and they are simply not endorsing this year under orders from their ownership shows a lack of independence in journalism and severely damages the concept of a free press. It shows cowardice as well."

👎 No (54%) – "If media companies want to build trust, they must demonstrate the ability to remain independent and neutral. By endorsing a specific candidate, they break that neutrality and their coverage must then be evaluated through their particular leaning. Media companies should not tell its audience what to think, but rather report the facts. This almost never happens, which is why we have such low trust in our journalists these days."

• "No, as a country, we are over it. We have celebrities, singers, newspapers all trying to tell us who to vote for. We are educated and can make our own decisions. It's time for media to go back to presenting the facts. I do remember a time when you could open a paper or watch the news WITHOUT it trying to sway you politically. Enough, already."

"Too much power to sway others. Alienates those who work there that feel differently. When news companies endorse candidates it encourages people who vote similarly to read from their newspaper and not read from those who oppose their view which only contributes to the echo chamber most people live in when it comes to politics. Increasing the polarity in our country is detrimental. We need news to be neutral."

• "Newspapers should cover candidates of any race with neutrality. Frankly, they should do the same with any news story. The idea that the editorial team believes they are the only ones with obvious opinions is laughable - newspapers already clearly show their bias in the way they cover most stories. It would be refreshing to have more unbiased news so that readers can truly make up their own minds on many issues. Newspapers have been losing readers for some time due to social media, which is biased to the point of being echo chambers. Newspapers could regain readers if they truly began to cover all news from a position of informing the public rather than extending echo chambers."

"I’ve never studied journalism but I had always assumed that the number one goal was to inform, not persuade, readers. I really don’t even like opinion columns. Every person can go to a comment section these days, which is essentially an opinion section. Modern news should be focused on creating a more educated reader. If a “newspaper” wants someone to make the right decision, then don’t pursue them but educate them."

🤷 Unsure/other (16%) – "If the paper generally leans one way or the other politically when they publish other articles, they might as well just come out and say who they endorse for president. I don't think anyone is actually fully swayed by reading an opinion page, but if you read the same newspaper everyday and don't realize they are only capturing one side of issues, it's good to know outright who they support."

• "I think it makes perfect sense to allow a newspaper to decide for themselves whether or not they want to post opinion pieces endorsing a news candidate. I think it's sad that NOT endorsing a candidate is so controversial, though I understand why."