Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post, provoked ire among his staffers Wednesday after he announced a new directive for the opinion section to begin defending “personal liberties and free markets.”
Bezos said in a Wednesday announcement that the opinion section will allow no criticisms of these two pillars since they have been critical to America’s success, prompting opinion editor David Shipley to step down. A handful of staffers at the Post publicly threatened to quit if Bezos dared to make any changes to the news section’s coverage.
Jeff Stein, the chief economics reporter at the Post, said the new announcement is a “massive encroachment” on the opinion section and threatened to quit if Bezos “tries interfering” with the news section.
“Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today—makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will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.
Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today – makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there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… pic.twitter.com/7hzWCUDCVV
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) February 26, 2025
The Post’s military affairs reporter, Dan Lamothe, adamantly stated he will not “shift [his] coverage” of the Defense Department and other matters relating to his beat.
“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,” Lamothe said.
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.
— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) February 26, 2025
The paper’s White House reporter, Dan Diamond, and video producer Dave Jorgenson made similar threats by vowing to “speak out and leave” if Bezos “interferes” in their work.
“My colleagues and I have been working to break news + write stories holding powerful people accountable. These are the top stories on our homepage right now, one of which I worked on. Our newsroom work is continuing. No one has ever told me what to write. If that changes, I’d speak out and leave,” Diamond said.
My colleagues and I have been working to break news + write stories holding powerful people accountable.
ADVERTISEMENTThese are the top stories on our homepage right now, one of which I worked on.
Our newsroom work is continuing.
No one has ever told me what to write. If that changes, I’d speak out and leave.
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond.bsky.social) February 26, 2025 at 12:06 PM
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Echoing Jeff (Stein), if Bezos interferes with my work on the news side – I’m out.
— Dave Jorgenson (@davejorgenson.bsky.social) February 26, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Washington Post columnist Philip Bump and former columnist Jen Rubin, who previously worked for the Post, did not appear happy with Bezos’s new direction for the opinion section.
“What the actual f*ck?” Bump wrote on Bsky.
what the actual fuck
— Philip Bump (@pbump.com) February 26, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Rubin accused Bezos of “sucking up” to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the overseer of the Department of Government Efficiency, by “destroying” the Post.
Bezos said the opinion section’s columns need to begin reflecting on how freedom “drives creativity, invention, and prosperity” in the U.S.
“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets,” Bezos said on X. “We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others … 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 shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning:
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…
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 26, 2025
The opinion section shakeup comes as Bezos’s relationship with President Donald Trump has seemingly improved since the 2024 election. The Amazon executive, who was previously a staunch critic of the president during his first term, dined with Trump and Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago in December and even donated $1 million to the president’s inaugural fund through Amazon.
Bezos further angered his staff in October when the paper decided not to endorse former President Kamala Harris ahead of the election. He defended his paper’s decision not to make an endorsement based on the media’s lack of credibility.
The Post has lost a quarter of a million subscriptions since making its decision not to endorse a candidate, and some indicated that they canceled their subscription following Bezos’ new announcement. The paper laid off dozens of staff from its business side at the start of 2025.
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