A newspaper in the typically red state of Oklahoma is still facing a significant backlash from readers after it endorsed Hillary Clinton for the U.S. presidency — the first time the paper did not endorse a Republican since it was founded in 1893, according to a report from The New York Times.
In an editorial during the runup to the election, The Enid News & Eagle said that “It has has been demonstrated time and again in recent months, Trump does not have the skills, experience or temperament to hold office.”
“For voters, Clinton is the only reasonable choice,” it continued.
Since the endorsement, the paper, which has a circulation of 10,000, has lost 162 subscribers and has also lost multiple sources of advertising revenue.
It became one of the most viewed articles ever on the newspaper’s website due to its controversial nature, and comments criticising the paper and its editorial flooded its Facebook page, comment sections, and email inboxes.
The paper has also had a Crooked Hillary bumper sticker placed on their editorial offices. Another former customer sent the newspaper a voice message outlining his hope the paper would be sent excrement by their customers.
The paper, which endorsed Florida Senator Marco Rubio in the Republican primaries, has since defended their decision to endorse Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.
“It was our decision at the corporate level, which of course was made known to all of our papers, that Donald Trump did not meet our company and journalism values, particularly as they related to the First Amendment,” said Bill Ketter, the paper’s vice president for news.
The Enid News & Eagle were not the only typically conservative newspaper to endorse Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Papers such as The Dallas Morning News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and The Arizona Republic, all broke over 100-year traditions of endorsing Republican candidates.
You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com
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