Jeff Bezos is continuing his radical overhaul over at The Washington Post.
The billionaire and former Amazon CEO, who has recently become increasingly sympathetic to Donald Trump, shared in a post on the X platform a note that he had sent to Post employees that the opinion pages would now focus on promoting “personal liberties and free markets.”
In response to the changes, the paper’s opinion editor David Shipley decided to “step away.”
His note explained:
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.
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
Bezos has imposed drastic changes at the paper over the past year, mainly in the form of job cuts.
However, he has also tried to change the paper’s editorial direction, most notably by refusing to endorse Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
In January, it was reported that the paper’s traffic has cratered over the past few years, falling a staggering 90 percent since 2021.
It has also experienced a significant decline in revenue, with Bezos making it clear that he does not intend to subsidize its losses.
There was speculation at one point that Bezos intended to sell the paper to finance other ventures, although this idea now appears to have been put on hold or even shelved.
REPORT: Washington Post’s Traffic is Cratering – Has Fallen by Nearly 90 Percent Since 2021
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