To the Editor:

Re “How The Post Put an End to Endorsing” (Business, Oct. 28):

I was dismayed to read that two highly esteemed newspapers, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, decided to refrain from endorsing either of the two leading candidates in the presidential election. What can account for this shocking abdication from editorial responsibility on the eve of what may well be the most consequential election in our nation’s history?

Sadly, the most plausible explanation is that the two newspapers in question are acting in accordance with what Timothy Snyder, a professor of history at Yale and author of “On Tyranny,” has called “anticipatory obedience” — hedging their bets against the possible election of a notoriously retributive Donald Trump.

As Mr. Snyder has astutely observed: “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked.”

How sad! How scary!

Adam HorvathEugene, Ore.

To the Editor:

Except for its timing so close to the election, the decision by The Washington Post to stop endorsing presidential candidates is commendable. In the current hyperpartisan and hyperpolarized political environment, the practice of newspapers endorsing political candidates has become counterproductive. It undermines the public perception of the independence and credibility of news outlets.

This perception of political bias also affects factual news reporting, including on nonpolitical issues, and it is not limited to one side of the ideological spectrum.

For example, here in New York City, many residents with left-leaning views will automatically discount as not credible reporting by The New York Post, a vocally pro-Republican newspaper, even if such reporting is factually sound. Many of the New York Post readers will automatically dismiss any New York Times coverage for similar reasons.

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