David Hartung
2025-02-26 21:57:40 UTC
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Permalinkannounced a significant shift to the publishers
opinion page that led David Shipley, the papers
editorial page editor, to leave the paper. The
changes upended precedent and rattled a media company
that has already been shaken by years of turmoil and
leadership turnover.
As part of the overhaul, the Post will publish daily
opinion stories on two editorial pillars: personal
liberties and free markets, Bezos teased in an X post
on Wednesday morning after announcing the change in a
company-wide email. The Posts opinion section will
cover other subjects, too, Bezos wrote, but
viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be
published by others.
Im confident that free markets and personal
liberties are right for America, Bezos wrote. I
also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the
current market of ideas and news opinion. Im excited
for us together to fill that void.
In announcing the shift, the billionaire media mogul
championed the changes as based in American
principles anchored in freedom. This freedom, Bezos
emphasized, is ethical it minimizes coercion and
practical it drives creativity, invention, and
prosperity.
As a basis for the change, Bezos noted that legacy
opinion sections have become outdated and have been
replaced by the internet.
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 readers doorstep every
morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to
cover all views, Bezos said via X. Today, the
internet does that job.
David Shipley leaves the Post
Bezos also shared that David Shipley, the Posts
editorial page editor, would part ways with the
company. Shipley had been offered a role in leading
Bezos planned changes but decided to step away
instead.
I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the
opportunity to lead this new chapter, Bezos wrote on
X. I suggested to him that if the answer wasnt
hell yes, then it had to be no. After careful
consideration, David decided to step away. This is a
significant shift, it wont be easy, and it will
require 100% commitment I respect his decision.
Bezos said the Post will search for a new opinion
editor to own the papers new editorial direction.
In an email to the Posts editorial team obtained by
CNN, Shipley noted his decision to leave the
publisher was reached after reflection on how I can
best move forward in the profession I love.
I will always be thankful for the opportunity I was
given to work alongside a team of opinion journalists
whose commitment to strong, innovative, reported
commentary inspired me every day and was affirmed
by two Pulitzer Prizes and two Loeb Awards in two
short years, Shipley wrote in the email.
Shipleys departure comes after spending four months
navigating increasing criticism of the Post from
subscribers and its own journalists. During that
time, defended the Posts decision to not run a
cartoon from Ann Telnaes that featured Jeff Bezos
and led to her resignation.
Not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a
malign force, Shipley said in January. My decision
was guided by the fact that we had just published a
column on the same topic as the cartoon and had
already scheduled another column this one a satire
for publication. The only bias was against
repetition.
Post staffers lash out
Bezos announcement was immediately met with
hostility by some Post staffers who publicly took
issue with the move.
Jeff Stein, the publishers chief economics reporter,
called the overhaul a massive encroachment by Jeff
Bezos that makes it clear dissenting views will not
be published or tolerated there.
I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism
on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries
interfering with the news side I will be quitting
immediately and letting you know, Stein said on X.
Amanda Katz, who stepped down from her role on the
Posts Opinion team at the end of 2024, called the
change an absolute abandonment of the principles of
accountability of the powerful, justice, democracy,
human rights, and accurate information that
previously animated the section in favor of a white
male billionaires self-interested agenda. And
columnist Philip Bump, who pens the Posts weekly
How to Read This Chart newsletter, pithily said
what the actual f**k on Bluesky.
Meanwhile, conservatives are celebrating Bezos
changes. Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder,
hailed the change as the culture [ ] changing
rapidly for the better. And Elon Musk, whose SpaceX
is a direct rival of Bezos Blue Origins, succinctly
applauded on X, saying Bravo, @JeffBezos!
Following the transformations internal announcement,
Will Lewis, the papers publisher and chief
executive, noted in an internal email obtained by CNN
that the recalibrate[ion] was not about siding
with any political party, but, rather, about being
crystal clear about what we stand for as a
newspaper.
Doing this is a critical part of serving as a
premier news publication across America and for all
Americans, Lewis wrote to Post staffers.
As Shipley exits the Post on Friday, Lewis said he
would put together an interim arrangement, adding
that the editorial page editors replacement would be
announced in due course and be someone who is
wholehearted in their support for free markets and
personal liberties.
Bezos and the Posts new direction
The divisive overhaul comes months after Bezos
blocked the Opinion pages endorsement of former Vice
President Kamala Harris at the eleventh hour, ending
decades of precedent. Shipley was among the chorus of
voices that sought to convince Bezos not to bar the
endorsement, telling staffers in October that I
failed to do just that.
Since Bezos action to block the op-ed, a chain
reaction has hounded the Post, with 250,000 Post
readers canceling their subscriptions and several
Opinion staffers resigning in protest. The Post has
also hemorrhaged reporters, who have signed with
rival publications rather than remain at the ailing
outlet.
The massive changeup comes months after Bezos
admitted in his defense of the op-ed block that his
Amazon and Blue Origin business interests have served
as a complexifier for the Post.
In the run-up to Novembers election, Silicon Valley
media moguls were seen cozying up to then-candidate
Donald Trump, hedging their bets in the event of a
conservative presidential victory. Critics said Bezos
was trying to change the Posts editorial strategy to
gain favorability with Trump, who has grown close to
Elon Musk, whose SpaceX is a direct rival of Bezos
own business. Bezos pushed back on those accusations
in a rare October op-ed.
When it comes to the appearance of conflict, I am
not an ideal owner of The Post, Bezos wrote. You
can see my wealth and business interests as a bulwark
against intimidation, or you can see them as a web of
conflicting interests.
Only my own principles can tip the balance from one
to the other, he wrote in October.
Bezos appearance of conflict is issued from his
numerous holdings, which include his Amazon and
spacefaring company, Blue Origin. Bezos Amazon is
also still facing a lawsuit from the FTC and 17
states, who accuse the company of abusing its
economic dominance and harming fair competition.
Bezos attended President Trumps January
inauguration. Although Bezos was not the only tech
billionaire present, his attendance as the Posts
owner did little to dispel the appearance of
conflict.
Most recently, the Post opted to not publish an anti-
Musk wrap ad for its print edition; while the Post
did greenlight an internal anti-Musk ad, it has not
yet clarified the grounds on which the wrap was
denied and did not comment when asked whether Bezos
was involved with the decision.
Post staffers also have for some time also been
discontented with Bezos over his appointment of Lewis
as publisher and chief executive. After taking the
top job in early 2024, reports quickly emerged of
Lewis involvement in several controversies,
including accusations that he used fraudulent and
unethical methods to acquire reporting for articles
while working at the Sunday Times. Lewis also came
under fire for allegedly attempting to kill a story
about his alleged involvement in the phone hacking
scandal coverup. Lewis has denied the accusations.
Dissatisfaction with Lewis reached a peak in June,
when two Pulitzer Prize-winning Post journalists
called for a leadership change amid the reports that
questioned Lewis journalistic integrity, undermining
the Posts reputation and reporting alike.
CNNs Brian Stelter contributed to this report.
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