Jeff Bezos Exerts More Control Of Washington Post Opinion, Says Focus Will Be On “Personal Liberties And Free Markets”
Jeff Bezos is exerting more influence over the content of the Washington Post opinion pages, as he announced Wednesday that its editorials will now focus on “defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”
But Bezos also made clear that alternate views will not appear on the pages.
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“We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others,” Bezos wrote in a memo to staffers this morning.
Bezos also wrote that David Shipley, the opinion editor, is leaving the publication.
Bezos wrote, “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 has owned the Post since 2013, and during the first Trump term, he was a consistent target of the president. As the Post reported critically on Trump’s administration, he threatened Bezos’ Amazon with antitrust action, and the company accused his attacks on its losing out to Microsoft on a lucrative government contract.
This time around, Bezos has been praiseworthy of the president, attending his inauguration. Amazon also contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Before the election, Bezos also put the kibosh on editorial page plans to endorse in the presidential race, as it was likely to back Trump’s rival, Kamala Harris.
In 2023, the Biden-era Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general sued Amazon for antitrust violations. A trial is scheduled for October 2026.
Bezos’ action seemed to suggest that, just as Amazon is facing the antitrust litigation, the Post editorial pages will be advocating for less government intervention and regulation.
Bezos wrote in his note, “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.”
Bezos’ announcement applies only to the opinion pages, not the news side. But it already has raised concerns in the newsroom.
Jeff Stein, chief economics reporter for the Post, wrote 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 news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know.”
Bezos’ action follows moves by another billionaire owner of a legacy publication, Patrick Soon-Shiong, owns the Los Angeles Times. He has also sought to take more control over the publication’s opinion pages, leading to the resignation of its editorial editor as well as others.
Per The Daily Beast, former Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron sharply criticized Bezos’ move as one to focus the opinion pages on “those who think exactly as he does.”
“Bezos has done personal liberties a disservice by cravenly yielding to a president who shows no respect for liberty — one who aims to use the power of government to bully, punish and crush anyone who is not in his camp, especially the press. There is no doubt in my mind that [Bezos] is doing this out of fear of the consequences for his other business interests, Amazon (the source of his wealth) and Blue Origin (which represents his lifelong passion for space exploration). He has prioritized those commercial interests over The Post, and he is betraying The Post’s longstanding principles to do so.”
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