SINGAPORE: To observers in Asia, the backlash against major United States newspaper the Washington Post may seem overblown.

Following news last week that its owner, Jeff Bezos, blocked the paper’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election, it lost over 250,000 digital subscribers, or 10 per cent of its subscriber base.

Three editorial board members and two columnists resigned their positions. The publication’s former editor Marty Baron called the decision "disturbing spinelessness" and "cowardice".

“Democracy dies in darkness,” reads the Washington Post’s official slogan. It is a bold but fitting warning that points to how it sees itself: As a lamp that illuminates shady dealings in America’s socio-political landscape, speaking truth unto power.

Many saw the decision not to issue an endorsement - historically, of the Democratic candidate - for the first time in decades as a betrayal of the courage the paper embodied in its reporting.

Democracy appeared to be dying in broad daylight, they said, amid speculation that Bezos did this out of fear of reprisal from Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump. If so, this raises deeper concerns for American media and society.