The Washington Post reported a continued decline in its subscriber base on Tuesday, after its owner, Jeff Bezos, defended the paper’s decision to stop endorsing presidential candidates. This move aims to restore trust in the media, according to Bezos.

The publication has lost 250,000 subscribers – approximately 10% of its 2.5 million pre-decision total – since the announcement last Friday, according to NPR reporter David Folkenflik.

As of Monday, 200,000 subscribers had already left, per a count of cancellation emails, a source at the paper disclosed. The Washington Post has yet to release an official statement on the reported figures.

Matt Murray, the executive editor who oversees news coverage said, “There’s a view that the numbers are going to be bumpy and rough for a couple weeks, and we’ll see how they settle down.” He said, “I think everybody’s trying to just take a few weeks to see where the numbers all come out.”

Bob Woodward, one of The Post’s most prominent journalists, voiced disagreement with the decision on Tuesday. “The outlet was an institution reporting about Donald Trump and what he’s done and supported by the editorial page,” he said.

Bezos described the policy shift as essential to reinforcing journalistic integrity. Citing a Gallup poll showing journalism now ranks below Congress in public trust, he said, “We have managed to fall below Congress. Our profession is now the least trusted of all. Something we are doing is clearly not working.”

Bezos defended the decision, writing, “Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election … what presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one.”

A New York Times survey published over the weekend indicated that mainstream media have lower trust levels than social media, with 55% of respondents believing the media negatively impacts democracy.

The Washington Post’s decision aligns with a growing industry trend, even as newspapers across the country struggle with declining readership and revenue. USA Today, owned by Gannett and among the top five newspapers by circulation, announced on Tuesday that it and over 200 local papers under its brand would also refrain from endorsing presidential candidates.

“Why are we doing this? Because we believe America’s future is decided locally – one race at a time,” said USA Today spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón in a statement to Politico. Despite this, the publications will still offer political recommendations at the state and local levels.