By: Joe Strupp When presidential endorsements by many of MediaNews Group's 54 daily papers are completed in the coming weeks, don?t be surprised if Barack Obama gets much of the support, according to CEO William Dean Singleton.
Speaking by phone Monday from his ranch in Granby, Colo. -- where he hosts an annual retreat for his editors, publishers and other newspaper leaders -- Singleton said chats with those who will decide the endorsements finds more liking Obama, at least at the moment.
"In talking to our editors, it appears many of them are leaning toward Obama," Singleton said. "But they have not made a decision yet. All of the papers are represented. I am hearing that the economy and health care are the big issues."
Singleton, a longtime supporter of the Bush family, says he remains personally undecided, a first for him. "I don't ever remember being undecided before. I have always leaned toward one of them early on," he says. "I am having trouble with this one." He favored Hillary Clinton over Obama during the Democratic primaries.
MediaNews papers include the Denver Post, San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, The Detroit News, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Los Angeles Daily News, Salt Lake Tribune and dozens of others.
In one of the first major endorsements of the fall season, the Seattle Times -- not a MediaNews paper -- endorsed Obama on Sunday.
Singleton is also chairman of The Associated Press.
As has been his practice in the past, Singleton said he does not try to influence his newspapers' endorsements. As publisher of The Denver Post and The Salt Lake Tribune, he sits on their editorial boards so he has a say in their choices, which usually swing to the GOP side. But, citing the Post's 2000 endorsement of Al Gore, he said his own preference is not always taken by them.
"I have not been to an editorial meeting where they have discussed it, " he said of both papers. "I don?t have strong feelings [about either candidate] this year. I would really like to see a debate first. There are a lot of people who don?t believe either candidate is the preferred candidate."
Singleton said the Post will likely publish its choice on Oct. 19, with the Tribune doing so around the same time. He said both papers endorsed Bush in 2004. "That didn?t have anything to do with my friendship with Bush, it had to do with the issues," he recalled. "They both endorsed Bush with reservations, particularly on the war."
He said neither Obama nor McCain would make his top list for what is essentially "the next CEO of the country."
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