Washington Post accused of biased articles at pre-election campaigns

Donald Trump has accused the Washington Post of endorsing Kamala Harris by stealth in a formal complaint to the country’s top election watchdog, according to the News Zealand Herald.

The filing to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleged the newspaper had paid to promote positive articles about Kamala Harris and negative Trump stories.

“The mainstream media has become nothing more than pro-Kamala propaganda,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.

The filing cited an article by the website Semafor that reported the paper was allegedly paying to boost its articles that were critical of the 78-year-old former President.

According to the six-page complaint to the FEC, the Washington Post, which for the first time in more than three decades declined to endorse a presidential candidate, had made “illegal in-kind contributions” to the Democrat’s campaign through its “online advertising efforts”.

The apparent backing was brought about through a “co-ordinated communications” strategy, the filing claims.

Trump’s filing is the latest in a string of FEC complaints made by his campaign that experts suggested were intended to garner media attention rather than secure formal penalties.