The Washington Post’s chief opinion editor chose to pick up his ball and go home after Jeff Bezos handed down new instructions ordering his department to begin running pro-America, pro-freedom columns each morning.
The Amazon founder and Post owner shared on social media on Wednesday morning a note he recently sent to all WaPo staff about the change. In it, Bezos explains that, each day, the paper’s opinion pages will write “in support and defense of” personal liberties and free markets, two unassailable elements of American life that he believes should be universally respected.
“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,” his note read.
One person who wasn’t happy with the change was David Shipley, the department’s former executive editor.
“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,” Bezos said.
Shipley had been manning the opinion pages at the Washington Post since July 2022 when he took over for the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning Fred Hiatt. His decision to quit prompted economics reporter Jeff Stein to threaten his own resignation if Bezos tried a similar move inside the news department.
“Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today – makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there,” Stein wrote on X. “I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with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.”
Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today – makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there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
Bezos, at one point the world’s richest man thanks to his decades of toiling to turn Amazon into the e-commerce juggernaut it is today, has no doubt about his decision.
“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,” his note concluded.
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
Stein’s tantrum was a savory moment for legacy media critics to pile on and remind him that the veneer of unbiased journalism is nearly worn off completely. If he leaves his perch at Washington, D.C.’s flagship paper, he may not land on his feet, one user joked.
“Have you considered learning to code, Jeff?” they asked him.
