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Donald Trump has accused the Washington Post of endorsing Kamala Harris by stealth in a formal complaint to the country’s top election watchdog.
The filing to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleged the newspaper had paid to promote positive articles about Kamala Harris and negative Trump stories.
“Themainstream media has become nothing more than pro-Kamala propaganda,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.
The filing cited an article by the website Semafor that reported the paper was allegedly paying to boost its articles that were critical of the 78-year-old former President.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo / AFP
According to the six-page complaint to the FEC, the Washington Post, which for the first time in more than three decades declined to endorse a presidential candidate, had made “illegal in-kind contributions” to the Democrat’s campaign through its “online advertising efforts”.
The apparent backing was brought about through a “co-ordinated communications” strategy, the filing claims.
Trump’s filing is the latest in a string of FEC complaints made by his campaign that experts suggested were intended to garner media attention rather than secure formal penalties.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands with US commentator Tucker Carlson at the end of a live interview in Arizona. Photo / AFP
Bezos defends lack of endorsement
It comes after the Washington Post’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos reportedly blocked the newspaper from endorsing a presidential candidate, ending a 36-year tradition.
Bezos personally took the decision not to publish an editorial that had already been drafted by its leader writers backing Harris, according to the Washington Post.
The Amazon founder later defended the decision and denied acting to protect his business interests, which include the potential procurement of government contracts, after the resignation of several staff and a dramatic drop in subscriber numbers.
“Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election,” Bezos wrote in his own op-ed.
“What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one.”
In a statement on Friday, the Trump campaign claimed that while the Post “declined to endorse [Harris] publicly, they have endorsed her in the dark”. “So much for ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness’,” it added, referencing the Post’s slogan.
In its complaint to the FEC, the Trump campaign cited the report by Semafor which noted that, like many outlets, the Post pays a small sum to promote its articles on social media platforms.
However, Semafor said that on Monday, the newspaper “aggressively ramped up its paid advertising campaign, boosting dozens of articles related to the election”.
“While the articles about Vice-President Kamala Harris were relatively neutral in tone … the articles that the Post paid to highlight about Trump told a different story,” the Semafor story said.
US Vice-President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Nevada. Photo / AFP
The FEC reviews every complaint on a case-by-case basis.
If the agency finds that a violation has occurred, its responses can vary from written warnings to a fine, according to its website.
A Washington Post spokesman said: “As part of the Washington Post’s regular social media marketing strategy, promoted posts across social media platforms reflect high-performing content across all verticals and subjects. We believe allegations suggesting this routine media practice is improper are without merit.”
