(Heart) Breaking News

It’s over, fellas. Sorry.

From

Update (4:30 p.m.)

And now a statement from David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prizewinner, author, one of the most respected writers and editors The Post has ever had, the man who managed to make Janet Cooke fess up because of the power and persuasiveness of his character. He has been associate editor of The Post:

“One pernicious step after another, Bezos encroached on the editorial policy of the Post. Today he seized it fully. The old Post is dead. I"ll never write for it again as long as he's the owner.”

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— Update (3:46 p.m.)

Cameron Barr, for years the highly respected number two editor in the newsroom, resigned today. He had retired but was under a lucrative contract, and he ended the contract with this blunt, unsparing explanation:

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Update (1:37 p.m.)

This is just from me, but it’s urgent: Someone should suggest to Bezos that he resurrect the Post Sunday magazine that he killed in 2022, and call the new one The Washington Post MAGAzine. You are welcome.

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Update (12:58 p.m.)

Marty Baron, one of the finest and most principled executive editors I ever worked for, said today that he was “sad and disgusted” by Bezos’s demands.

In a statement given to The Daily Beast, Baron wrote:

“It was only weeks ago that The Post described itself as providing coverage for ‘all of America.’ Now its opinion pages will be open to only some of America, those who think exactly as he does.

“There is no doubt in my mind that he 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.”

Update (12:45 p.m.) At a hastily convened meeting of the Post opinions staff, chaired by outgoing Opinions editor David Shipley, columnist Marc Fisher asked Shipley if the paper’s columnists would be allowed to write about this issue. Shipley answered with silence.

That came after Shipley had urged urged his staff to “test the limits” in what they wrote, to say what they thought and see how it was received by the management. But on Fisher’s very specific question, he had nothing.

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Update (12:16 p.m.) The Post publisher, William Lewis, just sent out this shitweasel memo to all staff:

Earlier today, our owner Jeff published a note explaining The Washington Post’s recalibrated content strategy for our opinion section. I want to thank him for clearly and succinctly spelling out what we stand for at The Washington Post, and I will be so very proud for The Post to be known for its two key pillars: our belief in free markets and personal liberties.

I am very excited about this new clarity and transparency, and cannot wait to see it brought to life in our opinion section. Every day.

This is not about siding with any political party. This is about being crystal clear about what we stand for as a newspaper. Doing this is a critical part of serving as a premier news publication across America and for all Americans.

With this coming change, David Shipley has decided to depart as the Editor of the Opinions section … [I] wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

I will be putting interim arrangements in place. David’s replacement will be announced in due course. It will be someone who is wholehearted in their support for free markets and personal liberties.

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Also, there is a rumor in the newsroom that there will be a new round of buyout offers, and a large number of staffers are now considering taking it, even at the rumored less generous terms.

Also, this is being sullenly circulated in the newsroom: A story that was published this very morning (apparently a coincidence) that seems to explain, if obliquely, Bezos’ financial motives for throwing his newspaper under the bus: currying favor with the Trump regime.

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Start of original post:

I just got this. It arrived in Wapo mailboxes fifteen minutes ago, from Jeff Bezos to staff:

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.

Jeff

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It is vague but revoltingly obvious. The Opinions section is being told what their opinions are to be, from now on. And they seem to align with current thinking by the Trump regime’s current scumbag leaders.

The Opinions section people are reeling. They abandoned their regular morning news meeting to try to make sense of it, and figure out if they still have jobs, and if so, what are their jobs and do they still want them?

And yes, The Opinions editor, David Shipley — the second highest ranking editor at the paper — resigned. He sent this to his staff:

It is with both sadness and gratitude that I write to let you know that I have decided to leave The Post. This is a conclusion I reached after reflection on how I can best move forward in the profession I love. I will always be thankful for the opportunity I was given to work alongside a team of opinion journalists whose commitment to strong, innovative, reported commentary inspired me every day -- and was affirmed by two Pulitzer Prizes and two Loeb Awards in two short years. I consider it an honor to have been part of The Post. I will miss you all.

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From a very quick survey by me of Wapo staffers: This is the worst thing to happen to The Washington Post ever in its 147 year life, including the Janet Cooke scandal.

Here’s my read, for what it is worth: Jeffrey Bezos is a businessman with zero interest in newspapers, zero understanding of their culture, their mission, their responsibilities, their vital historical role in a democracy. He bought The Post on a whim, a fever dream, excited by the idea that, as a businessman, he could “save” newspapers. It didn’t work out financially and he got bored with trying. So he has reverted to pure businessman: Maybe he can use his toy to help his other businesses by turning it — kicking and screaming — into a mouthpiece for deregulation of corporations, propping up totalitarian values (“free speech,” “personal liberties”), etc. That last part was J.D. Vance’s message to Europe, vis a vis Nazi salutes and so forth. They are a team now, Bezos and the Trump regime.

The first thing Bezos did when he bought The Post years ago was to slash retirement benefits for the staff. It was cold and cruel but evidently made sense, financially. He thinks financially, period.

And here we are. I can tell you that the entire newspaper is in shock, not just the Opinions staff. This is just the beginning. Coverage of the news will come next.

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Today’s Gene Pool Gene Poll:

Okay, it is 10:45. I’ll be back when and if I have more to report. I think I will.

Questions and opinions here: