Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Hundreds of Washington Post employees sent a letter to owner Jeff Bezos on Wednesday expressing grave concern about recent leadership decisions and the resulting exodus of high-profile colleagues, requesting a meeting with the billionaire so the newspaper could retain its “advantage.” competitive”.
“We are deeply alarmed by recent leadership decisions that have led readers to question the integrity of this institution, broken with a tradition of transparency, and have led some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave, with more departures imminent,” reads the letter obtained by Fox. News Digital States.
In reference to Bezos’ decision To overturn the liberal editorial board’s planned endorsement last year of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, the letter said this went far beyond that particular decision, which it called Bezos’s “prerogative.”
“This is about preserving our competitive advantage, restoring lost trust, and reestablishing a relationship with leadership based on open communication,” states the letter, reportedly signed by more than 400 employees. “We urge you to come to our office and meet with Postal leaders, as you have in the past, about what has been happening at the Postal Service. We understand the need for change and are eager to convey the news in a manner innovative. But we need a clear vision we can believe in.”
The owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos. (The New York Times DealBook Summit 2024 Live/posted by Andrew Ross Sorkin)
ANTI-TRUMP COLUMNIST JENNIFER RUBIN LEAVES THE WASHINGTON POST, JOINS OWNER JEFF BEZOS
Employees also pressured Bezos to remember his words when he bought the newspaper in 2013 and help reaffirm the paper’s “values.” The Amazon boss, one of the richest men in the world, had largely not intervened in the newspaper’s editorial decisions.
The letter appears to be the latest sign of a lack of faith by Post staff in editor Will Lewis, whom Bezos tapped to run the paper a year ago. Bezos had already enraged employees in October with his decision to cancel his endorsement of Harris at the last minute of the election, which Lewis supported.
“It’s an implicit vote of no confidence in Will Lewis and a plea for Bezos’ commitment and direct involvement,” said former Post staff writer Paul Farhi. Fox News Digital of the letter, which was leaked for the first time to NPR On Wednesday.
In recent weeks, the Post has seen the departure of figures such as reporters Josh Dawsey, Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, Tyler Page and Leigh Ann Caldwell, columnists Jennifer Rubin and Charles Lane, health and science editor Stephen Smith and the veteran editor Matea Gold.
Rabidly anti-Trump writer Jennifer Rubin lashed out at Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos on his way out the door. (Screenshot/Washington Post; SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
In Rubin’s case, she specifically said her decision was because Bezos had moved to a liberal startup called The Contrarian.
“The corporations and billionaire owners of major media outlets have betrayed the loyalty of their audiences and sabotaged the sacred mission of journalism: to defend, protect and promote democracy. The billionaire owner of the Washington Post and its directors are among the offenders.” “, wrote.
“They have undermined the core values of the Post’s mission and of all journalism, integrity, courage and independence. I cannot justify staying at the Post,” he continued. “Jeff Bezos and his cronies are adapting and enabling the gravest threat to American democracy – Donald Trump – at a time when a vibrant free press is more essential than ever to our democracy’s survival and ability to thrive.”
WASHINGTON POST BEGINS LAYOUTS, CUTTING 4 PERCENT OF WORKFORCE
(L-R) Andrew Ross Sorkin and Jeff Bezos speak on stage during the New York Times Dealbook 2024 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 4, 2024, in New York City. ((Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for The New York Times))
Editor-at-large Robert Kagan and several members of the editorial board also resigned last year as Bezos increased support for Harris. The Post lost a staggering 250,000 subscribers for the move, which was seen by staff as a capitulation by Bezos to Donald Trump before the election and a betrayal of the newspaper’s values.
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes also resigned from The Post earlier this month after the outlet refused to publish her cartoon depicting Bezos humiliating Trump. Former executive editor Sally Buzbee left the Post last June after Lewis’ newsroom reorganization.
The newspaper has also been hit by recent headlines about huge drops in web traffica reported loss of $77 million in 2024 and a round of layoffs earlier this month in its commercial sector.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The company feels rudderless right now,” a staffer told Fox News Digital earlier this month.
A Post spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
