Top WaPo Journalists Blast Jeff Bezos for ‘Massive Encroachment’ into Opinion Section, Threaten to Resign If He Interferes With News Side
AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke
An email sent by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos to staff Wednesday morning about a new direction for the paper’s Opinion Section drew sharp, public rebukes from several of the newspaper’s journalists, with some threatening to resign if he extended that interference to the news side.
In the message, which Bezos also tweeted, he told Post staffers he was emailing them “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,” wrote Bezos. “We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”
He added that he had offered Post Opinion Editor David Shipley “the opportunity to lead this new chapter,” but wanted Shipley to be on board with this editorial mandate — “I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t ‘hell yes,’ then it had to be ‘no.'” — and Shipley decided to resign instead.
CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter shared Shipley’s “short farewell memo.”
Wrote Shipley:
It is with both sadness and gratitude that I write to let you know that I have decided to leave The Post. This is a conclusion I 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. I consider it an honor to have been part of The Post. I will miss you all.
Post chief economics reporter Jeff Stein tweeted a screenshot of Bezos’s email alongside a scathing comment.
“Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today – makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there,” wrote Stein. “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.”
Columnist Philip Bump posted a succinct “what the actual fuck” on Bluesky shortly after Bezos’s email went out.
what the actual fuck
— Philip Bump (@pbump.com) February 26, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Dan Lamothe, who covers military affairs for the Post, added his thoughts in two tweets:
As a hard-news journalist at The Washington Post, there’s no shortage of important news to cover. I will keep digging in.
As I’ve stated before:
Nothing changes. We ask hard questions and hold those in power to account. That’s the job, whether those in power like it or not.
Anyone reading regularly knows we’ve landed a series of scoops in recent days about the Defense Department. I’m not shifting my coverage. That is my job.
I have no expectation that will change. But should I be told otherwise, I will need a Plan B.
Post White House reporter Cat Zakrewski tweeted a thread taking a similar stance reacting to Bezos’ email — including threatening to quit if the “red line” between ownership and reporting is crossed:
“In light of this news, I want to emphasize that there is a strong firewall between opinion and news at our publication,” Zakrewski wrote with a screenshot of the email, adding:
Since I joined the newsroom in 2018, Bezos has never influenced my coverage of tech policy, politics or the White House. My colleagues and I have covered him and his businesses with the same accountability lens we apply to all tech leaders.
I will not tolerate any interference from our owner in my reporting. If that red line is ever crossed moving forward, I will quit and let you know.
Recently, we’ve seen reporters from all over the newsroom produce incredible journalism about the new administration. The Post today published an investigation into the $38 billion in government funding that underpins Elon Musk’s business empire: [link to article].
Semafor media editor Max Tani noted that Post CEO Will Lewis sent his own separate email shortly after Bezos, praising the “recalibrated content strategy.”
Wrote Lewis:
Earlier today, our owner Jeff published a note explaining The Washington Post’s recalibrated content strategy for our opinion section. I want to thank him for clearly and succinctly spelling out what we stand for at The Washington Post, and I will be so very proud for The Post to be known for its two key pillars: our belief in free markets and personal liberties. I am very excited about this new clarity and transparency, and cannot wait to see it brought to life in our opinion section. Every day. This is not about siding with any political party. This is 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. With this coming change, David Shipley has decided to depart as the Editor of the Opinions section.
David has been with us for just over two years and, in that time, has overseen a department and body of work that has resulted in two Pulitzer Prizes and two Loeb Awards. David leaves us this Friday, and I ask everyone to join me in thanking him for his service to our paper and our readers, as well as wishing him the best of luck in his future endeavors. I will be putting interim arrangements in place. David’s replacement will be announced in due course. It will be someone who is wholehearted in their support for free markets and personal liberties.
Last fall, Bezos faced complaints from Post staffers when he directed the paper to forgo an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Amazon founder was among the group of tech billionaires who had a literal front row seat at President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
This article has been updated with additional content.
