Amid high profile newspaper endorsement stories, there has been a major drop in the overall number

While the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post have gotten all the headlines this week over their decisions to not endorse a presidential candidate this year, there has been a dramatic reduction of the overall number of mid- to large-city publications deciding to take that step. 

U.S. newspaper endorsements for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris have dropped by more than 60% this year compared to 2016, according to an estimate by Fox News Digital.

More than 240 newspapers endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, with only 20 endorsing Trump. In 2020, Trump's number fell to 14 newspapers while only 120 endorsed Biden. This year, according to their count, nearly 80 newspapers have endorsed Harris, while fewer than 10 endorsed Trump. 

Most newspapers have endorsed candidates in elections since the 19th century, according to Fox News, as papers were more openly connected to political parties. But over the years newspapers became more independent of the parties and supposedly independent editorial boards started making the endorsements. They generally suggest, and it is often true, that there is a wall separating their news coverage from their editorial and commentary pages. 

The Wall Street Journal has been a good example of that wall, but they haven’t endorsed a presidential candidate since Herbert Hoover in 1928. 

According to Fox News, Notable endorsements for Harris include the Winston-Salem Chronicle, The New York Times, Boston Globe, The New Yorker (magazine), Denver Post, The Las Vegas Sun, Los Angeles Sentinel, Seattle Times, The Star-Ledger, Tennessee Tribune, Scientific American (magazine) and San Antonio Express. 

Newspapers that have endorsed former President Trump include the New York Post, The Washington Times and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.