Much of the importance of education lies in the fact that students are empowered to

think for themselves. We must be able to hear the opinions of others and form our own thoughts on what those in authority or our peers have to say. This is especially pressing during this election season. It can be easy to be misled or swayed in a political climate where both major parties are constantly at each other’s necks. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, psychologists noticed a decline in the critical thinking skills of Millennials and members of Generation Z as they found themselves growing more stressed and focused on immediate, rather than long-term concerns. Knowing this, it’s imperative that we continue to ask questions and understand certain biased or underhanded political statements rather than blindly accepting what we are told.

Recently there has been controversy surrounding The Washington Post, a major newspaper purchased in 2013 by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of Amazon. An article from The New York Times in 2023 outlines Bezos’ increasingly active role in the company: “These days, Mr. Bezos knows more about the news business. And in recent months, he has become more involved with The Post’s operations … Mr. Bezos has said he wants The Post to be profitable, but it is unlikely to reach that target this year.” The crux of the recent controversy, though, lies in The Post’s final decision not to publish a presidential endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris despite having already drafted a statement.

This likely wouldn’t have been as big of a deal if those on the staff of the newspaper hadn’t come forward to claim that Bezos was responsible for the decision. According to Robert Kagan along with multiple columnists, Bezos had made the final call despite the editors’ complaints. Bezos then wrote in an editorial: “Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election … No undecided voters in Pennsylvania rare going to say, ‘I’m going with Newspaper A’s endorsement.’ None. What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias.”

Presidential endorsements create a perception of bias because they are inherently biased. That is the point—having an opinion in the hopes that it will be influential, or at least generate discussion. Yet with the uncertain polling of the presidential race between Harris and former President Donald Trump, no one is sure who will secure the presidency. The vote is liable to sway in any direction in the days leading up to Nov. 5. It doesn’t seem too far off to say that Bezos is worried about what could happen to his market share if Trump were to win the election. After all, Trump has been highly critical of the newspaper in the past, as they repeatedly endorsed Democrats during his time in, and running for, office. And perhaps Bezos should be concerned—Trump has shown time and time again to be a vindictive man.

Publishing an endorsement is not the only way to make a political statement. In fact, actions can be more telling. The chief executive officer of Blue Origin, an aerospace company founded by Bezos, met with Trump hours after the Editorial Board of The Post had drafted its original endorsement of Harris. Amazon’s CEO also reached out to speak to the former president over the phone. By allowing some of his top executives to speak with Trump, Bezos willingly became politically involved despite trying to present an unbiased front. Furthermore, publishing an editorial about why you will not endorse a candidate—especially when your paper has for the past two election cycles—is, ironically, also a political statement. A newspaper that publishes opinions cannot be unbiased, and a newspaper owned by one of richest men in the world with direct lines to government leaders certainly cannot be unbiased.

As much as we may hate to admit it, the reality is that money is power in our country. The fact that Bezos, a billionaire, even owns one of our major media sources—not to mention has authority over what is allowed to be published—is power. Billionaires are not just people who have money. They are people who have a stake in our government, our economy and our livelihoods, just like politicians.

That being said, during the time leading up to the 2024 presidential election, make sure to keep a critical eye out for bias. It’s inherent in most of the worthwhile statements we have to say, and not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, just as everyone should be able to critically disentangle their own beliefs from that which the media spoon-feeds them. In today’s political climate, we don’t need newspapers, or those over our media, to remain unbiased. What we need is to stop allowing systems which we have created and continue to uphold—such as our free market economy—to dictate our democracy.