Dallas Morning News Takes Subscription Hit for Clinton Pick

The Dallas Morning News has taken a hit in subscriptions after its early September endorsement of Hillary Clinton.

Angry readers and nonsubscribers have taken to social media and have even called the editor of the publication “a f**king traitorous POS. She’s responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths and the invasion of 3^rd world jihadists. Ahole,” an angry Twitter user tweeted.

The Dallas paper published an editorial on September 7, endorsing the Democrat candidate. The consequences of that decision has become evident in the weeks following.

“Certainly we’ve paid a price for our presidential recommendation, but then, we write our editorials based on principle, and sometimes principle comes at a cost,” The Dallas Morning News Editor Mike Wilson told Poynter.

The DMN editor added, “I’ve had a lot of conversations with readers lately, and I respect their views and their right to disagree with us. The most important thing to us is that they vote, even if it’s not for our favorite candidate, because democracy doesn’t work if people don’t vote.”

After the endorsement, angry protestors convened outside the DMN building in Dallas. Wilson approached them and he was asked “How could we support known criminal/liar/killer @Hillary Clinton?”

3. Pretty quick, that guy and others started shouting questions at me: How could we support known criminal/liar/killer @HillaryClinton?

— Mike Wilson (@mWilstory) September 14, 2016

One of the protestors called the Dallas editor an “enemy of the state.”

Here I am standing with @mWilstory, who one Trump supporter declared an “enemy of the state” https://t.co/JSfQ1Eu03P pic.twitter.com/fiSTdkgW4b

— Robert Wilonsky (@RobertWilonsky) September 14, 2016

Another protestor accused the newspaper of taking “big money” for the endorsement.

6. One woman said we recommended @HillaryClinton because somebody is paying us big money. Clearly not a student of the newspaper economy.

— Mike Wilson (@mWilstory) September 14, 2016

The DMN editor told the managing editor of Poynter, it was his hope that the subscribers who cancelled their subscriptions would come back to the publication. He said, “I believe The Dallas Morning News offers a lot of value to readers–even when they disagree with a particular editorial view.”

Given the anger shown in terms of comments after the endorsement (3,500 reported by Mullin), it remains an open question if readers will forgive the publication. The DMN editor declined to give the actual number of cancelled subscriptions.

Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2.