More Censorship At The Washington Post— This Time To Not Hurt Elon Musk's Delicate Feelings

This Is What Happens With Media Consolidation

Tuesday was supposed to be a big day for Common Cause and the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Washington Post ad department had sold them a wrap-around ad for $115,000. But on Friday they were told that The Post had cancelled the run. Apparently the world’s second richest man, Post owner Jeff Bezos, didn’t want to allow the world’s first richest man, Elon Musk, to be upset by an ad in his plaything-newspaper.

Common Cause has been working the “Fire Elon Musk” theme online for some time. The Washington Post ad would have been a big step for thr campaign, especially since it would have been delivered to every congressional office, every White House office and every Pentagon office. Bezos is certainly make a mess of The Post's reputation! And this isn’t just about Musk or Bezos, or even The Post’s tattered credibility— it’s about the consolidation of power in fewer and fewer hands. When billionaires can kill an ad with a phone call— or even a raised eyebrow— it’s a reminder that press freedom in America is a conditional privilege, not a right.