The Northeaster has been around since 1978. Since then, the paper has never made an endorsement. That changes today. Endorsements have long been a way for newspapers to participate in American democracy, and it is time this newspaper threw its hat into the ring.
Before we do, let’s talk about newspapers and endorsements, so you, the reader, can better understand our process and newspapers’ processes in general.
Recently, endorsements — or lack thereof — themselves made the news. In 2024, both the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post refused to endorse a candidate for president. As a result of backlash to these decisions, The Washington Post lost 250,000 subscribers and the Times’ editorial editor, Mariel Garza, announced her resignation from the paper.
For The Washington Post, this was the first time since 1988 that it didn’t endorse a presidential hopeful.
So, why hasn’t the Northeaster endorsed a candidate for any office up to this point? It’s a great question.
To understand, we need to start from the beginning. Before 1830, newspapers were generally run by political parties. Naturally, they endorsed candidates, but most people were unsurprised with which candidate they chose. They would stick along party lines.
After 1830, the New York Herald, a truly independent newspaper, not run by any party, selected a candidate from each major party rather than choosing just one. Since then, newspapers have been making endorsements.
So, does a newspaper’s endorsement show its political leaning? Many would argue no. When these larger newspapers, like the two mentioned earlier, made endorsements, they would have their editorial department carefully analyze all candidates, determining who was best with as little bias as they could manage.
David Mindich, professor of journalism at Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn., said political endorsements of candidates by a newspaper are not a sign of bias, because there is a wall separating the news division from the editorial division.
That is not the case here at the Northeaster.
The reality is: The Northeaster reports the news for a hyperlocal readership. We do not have sufficient resources to create this wall between the news and editorial sides of the newspaper. And, as publisher emerita Margo Ashmore has often said, “We have to work with whoever wins.”
So, to maintain an unbiased approach towards elections that affect the area, the paper doesn’t endorse candidates. Instead, we’re making a different, one-word endorsement.
Vote.
The Northeaster strives to give you all the key information for local races that affect you. We leave the larger races, like governor and senator, to the newspapers with more resources. The local races will be covered in detail, as they already have been up to this point.
Even though they affect a smaller amount of people, local governments impact the lives of their constituents more than any other level of government.
Our goal is to help you become an educated voter. That is our purpose when writing stories on local races, from school board to city council to Minnesota House and Senate seats. We want to ensure you know who and what you are voting for this November.
So: Go and vote. You can do it now through mail-in ballots or early voting centers, or you can wait until November 3. Either way, ensure you do your civic duty and vote this election season.