Do not obey in advance. Much of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. At such times, individuals anticipate what an oppressive government would want and offer themselves without being asked. Citizens who adapt in this way teach the government what it can do.

— Yale historian Timothy Snyder On Tyranny

Once upon a time, in a world that seems so far away, are the stories of courage of Washington Post reporters, editors and publishers. inspired a generation of young people Believing that journalism is a way, and perhaps the best way, to change the world for the better.

important scene in the 1976s All the President’s Men – burying facts and some myths about the Post’s star reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and their roles in this matter. Watergate scandal The event that brought down Richard Nixon takes place in the dead of night, on the pitch-dark lawns of senior editor Ben Bradlee. Fearful of being wiretapped, the two journalists quote their source, Deep Throat, as warning that “people’s lives, perhaps even our own, are in danger.”

In a famous monologue, Bradlee (played by Oscar winner Jason Robards) tells Woodward and Bernstein to keep reporting the story: “There’s nothing in this except the First Amendment of the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of Turkey. “None of this matters,” the country said, adding its trademark newsroom skepticism.

But maybe an equality more descriptive scene Earlier, Nixon’s campaign manager, John Mitchell—who had been called out by reporters for his comment on a damning article—had instead admonished the Post’s groundbreaking publisher: “Katie Graham is putting her (a vulgar word meaning breast) in a big way.” will catch you in a trap.” fat boring if aired. Katharine Graham’s Post had a lot at stake; federal regulators could strip his company of rights lucrative TV licenses — yet both story and excerpt were published minus the T, and the Post won a Pulitzer Prize for its relentless pursuit of Watergate.

These are the stories journalists tell ourselves for a living; So much so that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos felt compelled to do so when he purchased the Post from Graham’s heirs in 2013. calling them to reassure a wary newsroom that the Post will never diminish its reputation for courageous journalism. In a letter to employees, the man worth $200 billion wrote: “I hope no one threatens to crush any part of my body, if so I will be ready thanks to Ms. Graham’s example.”

Bezos was lying.

The world’s third richest person on Friday, full of scandals British publisher Will Lewis and the iconic newspaper they control stunned both American politics and the media world. increases the support of the editorial board Kamala Harris’ presidential candidate. The move comes just days before the election his opponent described as Donald Trump’s threats are increasing impose a tyrannical form of government mass deportation camps and arrests growing list of enemiesincluding journalists.

Lewis’s a very inconsistent defense The decision’s entry into force ended the tradition of presidential endorsements that the Post had begun in 1976. All the President’s Men was released – he did nothing to quell widespread and deliberate speculation that his boss Bezos had killed the pre-made editorial out of fear that a vengeful Trump, 47, could end the billionaire’s career. comprehensive business agreements with the federal government. It seemed so appropriate that Trump Meeting with executives in Austin The kibosh was also put on Bezos with the approval of his space venture Blue Horizon.

If this seems like the latest saga of open corruption in a nation billionaire kleptocracyIt is – but this moment is also so much more than that. America is witnessing the raw power of dictatorship about nine days before voters decide whether this is truly our future path. Cowardly Bezos could spend billions of dollars to build a man-made bullet. sending it into space but he will never have cojones Katharine Graham. HE obey fascism in advanceAnd he’s not alone.

Three thousand miles west, Bezos’ billionaire friend Patrick Soon-Shiong — has owned the Los Angeles Times since 2018 — essentially pulled off the same maneuver kills editorial board support Harris’ story has been in the works for weeks and comes after months of editorials about the authoritarian dangers of a Trump presidency. Observers say Soon-Shiong a close friend of mine for a long time As you guessed it, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and another billionaire all his time and a significant amount of money. To get Trump elected. (Soon-Shiong’s daughter insists this is because: Failure of both candidates To address the massacre in Gaza.)

As the moral center of the journalistic universe appears to be collapsing, Trump He spoke at a rally in Tempe, Ariz.., the media are “the enemy of the people, they are. I was asked not to say this, I don’t want to say it. They are enemies of the people.” Republicans repeating this ominous language echoing dictators A new threat quickly arrived after the 1930s. creating licensing issues For CBS because Trump didn’t like an edit 60 Minutes Interview with Harris and A long article on Truth Social He threatens to prosecute his enemies.

” READ MORE: Journalism fails miserably to explain what’s really happening to America

The message here is clear. The cowardice of news organizations controlled by Bezos and Soon-Shiong has already taught Trump what power can do, in the words of Yale’s Snyder, one of the leading US experts on fascism, and plans to bring new things to Trump if he wins in next week’s elections . He hits with all his might. What happened at the Post and the LA Times was a stunning betrayal of the moral values ​​of journalism, but in a strange way, the newspapers were performing a public service: They were showing American voters what life would be like under a dictator.

The decertifications came with a lot of nuance. One irony, some observers have pointed out, is that Harris’ endorsement is expected from both editorial boards. it would be a small point It is on the political radar compared to the earthquake of the owners’ intervention. There is more an intellectual argument – I once said in a long-lost blog post that newspapers should not endorse candidates. If the Post or the Times had announced such a decision a year ago—and not in the heat of the election’s final days, under pressure from self-serving billionaires—there would have been little controversy.

But these comebacks now, coming from the toxic heart of the American oligarchy, have instead confirmed this: worst fears Among anxious voters, the core institutions that once saved US democracy under the life-or-death pressures of Watergate — Supreme Court, CongressAnd an aggressive media – they sank into morally empty shells.

Worse, readers’ sudden sense of betrayal, along with reports that both the Post and the LA Times have been bombarded with thousands of stories, appear to have greatly accelerated the already steep decline in public trust in American journalism. canceled subscriptions. Some have moved on to news organizations like The Inquirer. a long and convincing confirmation Harris’ news came almost at the same time that the Post’s capitulation was made public. But many readers will be completely lost. This will create more layoffs, which will lead to less accountability for journalism in a collapsing democracy, which will lead to more skepticism, the dirty gasoline that fuels autocracy.

It should also be noted that this fish smells mainly from the head. The vast majority of working journalists—many of whom were not yet born when Woodward and Bernstein stood in Bradlee’s yard—are so outraged that their readers frantically hit the “unsubscribe” button. Scores of reporters, columnists and others in both newsrooms boldly condemned their bosses’ decisions. online posts and in open letters. Mariel Garza, editorial editor of the LA Times resigned to protest – despite the terrible journalism job market – and at least my other two colleagues we joined him.

“I am resigning because I want to make it clear that it is okay for us to remain silent,” Garza said. He told Columbia Journalism Review. “In dangerous times, honest people must stand up. That’s how I stand.” With the election just over a week away, I’m hopeful that Garza’s brave actions and the words of those speaking out add up to a growing list. Woodward and Bernstein themselves – will be the ultimate takeaway, not the cowardly corruption of a little man like Bezos.

This early preview of what dictatorship is really like also provides the most important lesson we can learn right now; This is how we stand up to powerful men and tyrants instead of obeying in advance. How we all respond in the coming days and weeks will determine the fate of the First Amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and perhaps the future of the country.

And if any of this matters.

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