Shake-up at WaPo: The opinion editor is out as Bezos says op-eds must defend 'free markets' and 'personal liberties'
Story by insider@insider.com (Geoff Weiss,Lucia Moses)• 14h
Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post. Getty Images© Getty Images
- Jeff Bezos unveiled sweeping changes to The Washington Post's opinion pages.
- Coverage will now center on two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.
- The Post's opinion editor is leaving and the shift prompted criticism from some insiders.
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"We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets," Bezos wrote. "We'll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others."
Bezos, who owns the Post, said there's no longer a need for "a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views" because of the internet.
As part of the overhaul, Bezos said that opinion editor David Shipley is stepping away from the paper, and that the search is on for a replacement.
Will Lewis, publisher and CEO of the Post, echoed Bezos' sentiments in his own staff memo.
"This is not about siding with any political party," Lewis wrote in a memo shared with Business Insider. "This is about being crystal clear about what we stand for as a newspaper."
While newspaper owners generally set the direction of opinion pages, the shift prompted some fierce criticism.
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Martin Baron, who was executive editor of the Post from 2013 to 2021, emailed BI that he was "sad and disgusted" by Bezos' action, calling it counter to his history of standing up for editorial independence at the Post while Baron was there.
"Bezos argues for personal liberties. But his news organization now will forbid views other than his own in its opinion section," Baron wrote. "It was only weeks ago that The Post described itself as providing coverage for 'all of America.' Now its opinion pages will be open to only some of America, those who think exactly as he does."
The Post's chief economics reporter, Jeff Stein, wrote on X that the move was a"massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post's opinion section."
"Makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there," he wrote.
A current Post staffer on the news side told BI that there was "a lot of tension in the newsroom that we're next."
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"Top editors are reminding us that so far there hasn't been any interference in the newsroom," this person said.
The current staffer also said Bezos's heavy-handed messaging felt like a first, likening it to "a proclamation coming down from high." They asked for anonymity in discussing internal matters; their identity is known to BI.
Post executive editor Matt Murray sent a note to staff, which was viewed by BI, saying Bezos's changes applied only to the opinion section and that the "independent and unbiased work of The Post's newsroom remains unchanged."
"We will continue to pursue engaging, impactful journalism without fear or favor," he added.
This new shake-up comes after a series of controversies at the Post.
In October, the Post made waves when it opted not to endorse a candidate in the presidential election — a decision that the Post reported came from Bezos himself.
Following a year of internal turmoil, hundreds of Post staffers sent Bezos a letter in January asking him to intervene after integrity and transparency issues — far beyond the endorsement controversy, the letter said — had precipitated staff departures.
The Los Angeles Times has also been roiled by controversy after its billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, became more involved in the paper's opinion section. Before the presidential election, he stopped the paper from endorsing then-VP Kamala Harris. He also said the paper had moved too far to the left and called for a more balanced approach to covering President Donald Trump.
In his second term, Trump has put greater pressure on the mainstream US news media. His administration has opened investigations into news organizations and thwarted some outlets' access to covering events.
Here's the note that Bezos shared with staff in full:
I'm writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages.
We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We'll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.
There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader's doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job.
I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America's success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.
I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn't "hell yes," then it had to be "no." After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won't be easy, and it will require 100% commitment — I respect his decision. We'll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction.
I'm confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I'm excited for us together to fill that void.
Jeff
