Trump criticizes the Washington Post for bias and 'illegal contribution' to the Democratic campaign

Former President Donald Trump filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) accusing the Washington Post of illegally contributing to Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign. Trump claims that the media outlet's recent advertising strategy, focused on highlighting articles critical of him on social media, constitutes an "illegal corporate contribution" for the benefit of his political opponent.

Context and motivation for the complaint

In the context of an election campaign full of accusations of media bias, Trump has intensified his criticism towards them, accusing them of bias against him. In the complaint filed by his team, they point out that the Washington Post, by promoting articles critical of Trump on social media, would be incurring "unreported last-minute independent expenditures," which they consider a strategy that indirectly benefits Vice President Harris and puts the neutrality of the electoral process at risk.

The complaint makes strong allegations, noting that the Washington Post is conducting a  "dark money corporate campaign" against Trump and has overstepped the bounds of the press exemption. According to his team, the media outlet has acted "like any other partisan actor in the electoral process," thus requesting that the FEC investigate and sanction this possible "corporate interference."

This action was prompted by a report by Semafor, which claims that the Washington Post funded social media campaigns to highlight its critical coverage of Trump. At the same time, articles related to Harris were presented more neutrally.

Editorial practices and loss of subscribers

The Washington Post announced that it would not endorse presidential candidates this year, an unusual decision that some critics interpreted as an attempt to appear neutral. However, since this announcement, the media has lost about 250,000 subscribers, a significant figure that could reflect discontent among readers who perceive a bias in its coverage.

A spokesperson for the Washington Post told Axios that the Post's social media advertising strategy is a routine practice that highlights high-performing content across a variety of topics and verticals. The spokesperson dismissed accusations of political interference as "unfounded."

Media inequality

A recent analysis reveals a remarkable disparity in media coverage of the presidential candidates by the country's major television networks, with a clear benefit toward Vice President Kamala Harris. Since the start of the campaign in July, ABC, CBS and NBC have aired 78% of news stories with a positive slant on Harris on their nightly newscasts. In contrast, former President Donald Trump has faced 85% negative coverage, highlighting a notable imbalance in media attention to both candidates.