Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Endorses Trump, First GOP Endorsement Since 1972

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed Donald Trump for re-election, its first endorsement of a Republican candidate in nearly 50 years. It made headlines and garnered praise from the right, but some question if newspaper endorsements still matter?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran its endorsement of President Trump on Sunday, urging readers to “separate the man from the record.”

The paper touted new trade deals, a pre-covid economic boom, and Trump’s record on energy, which it calls one of Pittsburgh’s “most important concerns.”
The Toledo (Ohio) Blade is owned by the same company as the Post-Gazette and ran the same endorsement Sunday.
TheHill.com reported the Post-Gazette’s endorsement was equally as critical of Trump as it was in its praise.
Most major newspapers nationwide have endorsed Joe Biden, while Business Insider reported only five major papers (before the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) endorsed Trump.
The Spokesman-Review endorsed President Trump in a similar manner the Post-Gazette endorsed. Its editor later wroteabout the waning influence of newspapers and whether endorsements were still necessary.
Some outlets have actually broken tradition by offering their endorsement.
More and more newspapers have declined to endorse candidates at all.
Some are calling for an end to the practice entirely.

Voices on the left have been largely quiet about the Pittsburgh outlet’s endorsement.
Newsweek emphasized the Post-Gazette’s characterization of Biden as “old” and “fragile.”
In early October, an editor for the Los Angeles Times noted how so many readers have reveled in using the Times’ endorsements to determine who not to support.

In its coverage of the endorsement, the Free Beacon omitted the Post-Gazette’s sharp criticism of President Trump’s temperament.
The Federalist was one of few outlets to cover the Post-Gazette’s assessment of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, saying the paper acknowledged his response has “not been perfect,” but “no one masters a pandemic.”
Conservative site Breitbart connected the Post-Gazette endorsement to Biden’s “last-minute” swing through western Pennsylvania.

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