Is the Post a Sinking Ship?

Article in The Guardian by Marina Dunnbar, 1/15/25

Headline:  ” ‘Deeply alarmed’: Washington Post staff request meeting with Jeff Bezos”

Subhead:  “Journalists say in letter ‘trust has been lost’ and seek in-person meeting with billionaire owner over paper’s future”

“‘Deeply alarmed’: Washington Post staff request meeting with Jeff Bezos

Journalists say in letter ‘trust has been lost’ and seek in-person meeting with billionaire owner over paper’s future

Over 400 staff members at the Washington Post have sent a letter to Jeff Bezos asking for a meeting with him during a time of widespread concern about the future of the newspaper.

The letter, signed by top journalists and correspondents and sent on Tuesday evening, pleads for Bezos, who is known to rarely visit the Post’s office in Washington, to meet in person with leaders at the office.

“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 prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave, with more departures imminent,” the letter reads. NPR first reported the letter.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/15/washington-post-jeff-bezos

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Article in the Daily Beast by Corbin Boles, 1/15/25

Headlline: “Washington Post Staffers Beg New Trump Bestie Jeff Bezos to Save Paper”

“Washington Post staffers delivered an impassioned missive to their paper’s owner Jeff Bezos on Wednesday, urging the billionaire to “stand with us” and articulate “a clear vision” for the Post’s future.

The letter, signed by more than 400 reporters and editors, urged Bezos to come to the Post‘s D.C. office and meet with newsroom leaders. The letter was first reported by NPR and The New York Times.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/washington-post-staffers-beg-new-trump-bestie-jeff-bezos-to-save-paper/

 

 

Article in Axios by Sara Flescher, 1/14/25

Headline: “Media’s billionaire backlash – Once seen as saviors to a dying industry, some billionaire media owners are now facing a backlash from their newsrooms.”

Subhead:  “Why it matters: President-elect Trump’s victory has prompted wealthy executives to reconsider their resistance to the MAGA movement. Journalists say they’re pandering to power by meddling with important work.”

“Driving the news: Longtime Washington Post opinion columnist Jennifer Rubin said she is leaving the paper to launch a new publication called The Contrarian with former Obama White House ethics czar Norm Eisen.”

” ‘Jeff Bezos and his cronies accommodate and enable the most acute 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 capacity to thrive,’ Rubin wrote in a resignation memo, calling out the Post’s owner. ”

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/14/media-owners-bezos-trump