The Washington Post pulled out of running a $115,000 front and back page advert that called for President Donald Trump to “fire” Elon Musk, his Department of Government Efficiency head, according to a new report.

According to the advocacy group's spokesperson, Common Cause learned on Friday that the Post would not run the ad criticizing Musk. This decision comes after the Post received widespread backlash for not endorsing a political candidate during the 2024 presidential election, and its owner, Jeff Bezos, openly supported President Donald Trump.

Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper backs out of six-figure deal criticising billionaire’s power in Trump’s White House

The watchdog group Common Cause, in cooperation with the Southern Poverty Law Center, had agreed to pay the Post $115,000 for one ad placement on the front and back of Tuesday’s print edition, and another similar full-page ad on the inside of the paper.

An advertisement that was set to run in some editions of The Washington Post on Tuesday calling for Elon Musk to be fired from his role in government was abruptly canceled, according to one of the advocacy groups that

A $115,000 advertisement urging president Trump to fire Elon Musk from the Department of Government Efficiency was pulled from The Washington Post. The ad criticized Musk's leadership and chaos. Concerns were raised about Jeff Bezos' influence on the decision.

The Post’s decision, made without explanation, has raised concerns about censorship and potential pressure to cover news in a specific way.