'New York Times' endorses Hillary Clinton

The editorial board of the New York Times endorsed Hillary Clinton for president Saturday and expressly directed its message to fence-sitting voters who remain unsure about the Democratic former secretary of state.

"Our endorsement is rooted in respect for her intellect, experience, toughness and courage over a career of almost continuous public service, often as the first or only woman in the arena," according to the endorsement published online mid-day Saturday.

After an initial promo for a forthcoming Monday editorial about Donald Trump — "the worst nominee put forward by a major party in modern American history" — the paper instead focuses on Clinton's record and proposals.

"The best case for Hillary Clinton cannot be, and is not, that she isn’t Donald Trump. The best case is, instead, about the challenges this country faces, and Mrs. Clinton’s capacity to rise to them," they wrote.

Although largely positive, the endorsement does confront some of the shortcomings in Clinton's career.

"She has evinced a lamentable penchant for secrecy and made a poor decision to rely on a private email server while at the State Department," it states. "That decision deserved scrutiny, and it’s had it. Now, considered alongside the real challenges that will occupy the next president, that email server, which has consumed so much of this campaign, looks like a matter for the help desk."

The New York Times has endorsed Democrats for president every election since 1956, when it preferred Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower.