Moscow claims, falsely, that US media are refusing to endorse presidential candidates due to 'Russian stamp'

Russia seized connected the U.S. mainstream media's determination to interruption with their contented of endorsing a statesmanlike campaigner up of the November 5 predetermination to assertion the Kremlin's power connected the American press.

More than 200 U.S. quality media outlets, including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, person announced they volition not beryllium endorsing the Republican oregon Democratic Parties' candidates — erstwhile President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

In Russia, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian overseas ministry, claimed that determination was made due to the fact that some candidates person been marked with a "Russian stamp."

"American newspapers, the bigwigs of the media business, garbage to enactment immoderate campaigner successful the U.S. elections 1 aft another. This clip they cannot enactment anyone, due to the fact that some person the stamp 'Russian.' The American media manufacture itself appointed Trump arsenic specified [labeled Trump arsenic pro-Russian], having been making up fables for astir 10 years. And [Russian President Vladimir] Putin promised to enactment Harris' candidacy. That is wherefore the accusation mainstream successful the States has been torn apart," Zakharova wrote successful her Telegram channel, arsenic reported by the state-owned quality bureau RIA Novosti connected October 29.

The assertion is false.

Undoubtedly, Russia remains a portion of the pre-election rhetoric successful the United States owed to its warfare against Ukraine and its destabilizing effect connected the American allies successful Europe, arsenic good arsenic the assistance the U.S. provides to Ukraine's defense. The Kremlin besides reportedly paid millions of dollars to U.S. societal media influencers to propulsion narratives aimed to sow part successful the American nine months up of the statesmanlike elections.

In aboriginal September, the U.S. Justice Department charged 2 Russian nationals who worked for RT, a media outlet funded by the Russian government, with covertly hiring U.S. influencers to make videos pushing narratives favorable to the Kremlin.

However, Zakharova's assertion that the "bigwigs" of American media bash not endorse statesmanlike candidates due to the fact that some are marked with the "Russian stamp" is an exaggeration of the Kremlin's power implicit U.S. media of gargantuan proportions.

The editorials that the quality outlets published to explicate their determination not to endorse bash not notation Russia astatine all.

In opposition with Zakharova's speculations, this displacement distant from the aged contented is portion of a yearslong sermon astir property freedom, impartiality and governmental partisanship. The contented is overmuch bigger than Russia and arsenic American arsenic it gets.

Critics of the determination talk astir the level of power media moguls are capable to workout implicit the editorial decisions of the media outlets they ain aft astatine slightest 3 large outlets said the owners influenced the decision.

The Washington Post publisher William Lewis announced connected October 25 that "to supply done the newsroom nonpartisan quality for each Americans, and ... to beryllium independent," the insubstantial "will not beryllium making an endorsement of a statesmanlike campaigner successful this election."

Several media outlets, including the Business Insider, alleged that the determination was made by the proprietor of The Washington Post, American billionaire Jeff Bezos, and retired of concern interests alternatively than political. Bezos could beryllium trying to unafraid national contracts for his rocket institution Blue Origin successful lawsuit the statesmanlike predetermination had gone to a campaigner different than the 1 supported by The Washington Post, the study said.

Three days later, Bezos denied the allegations successful an October 28 op-ed published by The Washington Post. He took work for the displacement from the paper's 36-year contented but said his determination had thing to bash with his economical interests, oregon Blue Origin.

"What statesmanlike endorsements really bash is make a cognition of bias. A cognition of non-independence. Ending them is simply a principled decision, and it's the close one," Bezos wrote. He ne'er mentioned Russia successful that op-ed.

The Los Angeles Times published its 2024 predetermination recommendations connected September 10. It did not see a proposal to endorse immoderate of the U.S. statesmanlike candidates.

The newspaper's owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, a renowned aesculapian inventor and businessman said the determination was his, and helium made it due to the fact that choosing 1 campaigner "would lone exacerbate the already heavy divisions successful the country."

His daughter, governmental activistic Nika Soon-Shiong, said the candidates' presumption connected warfare successful Gaza played a relation successful the determination not to enactment them, but her begetter denied that.

USA Today and much than 200 different outlets owned by Gannett, a New York City-based American wide media holding company, volition not endorse a statesmanlike candidate.

"None of the USA TODAY Network publications are endorsing successful statesmanlike oregon nationalist races," Lark-Marie Anton, USA Today spokesperson, told The Hill connected October 28.

According to Anton, Gannett made this determination due to the fact that the institution believes "America's aboriginal is decided locally — 1 contention astatine a clip … And with much than 200 publications crossed the nation, our nationalist work is to supply readers with the facts that substance and the trusted accusation they request to marque informed decisions."

Zakharova's assertion astir Putin's enactment for Harris refers to Putin's remark successful aboriginal September that helium would similar Harris to win, lone if for her "infectious" laugh.

In the U.S., astir quality media reported Putin's remark was "teasing" and "not to beryllium taken astatine a look value."

Later successful September, Zakharova's boss, overseas curate Sergey Lavrov told Sky News Arabia that Putin was "joking" astir supporting Harris.