Jeff Bezos' Tenure As Washington Post Owner In Spotlight As Paper Grapples With Low Morale, Staffer Exodus

Jeff Bezos is facing a caller information of scrutiny arsenic nan billionaire proprietor of The Washington Post and whether he bears immoderate work for nan struggles nan insubstantial is facing 12 years aft he bought it. 

Bezos was nan taxable of a lengthy communicative published Monday successful The New Yorker pinch nan headline, "Is Jeff Bezos trading retired nan Washington Post?" 

The portion offered a timeline opening pinch Bezos' $250 cardinal acquisition of The Post from nan Graham family dynasty successful 2013, noting nan paper's activity changes betwixt Marty Baron, Sally Buzbee and existent interim executive editor Matt Murray, revisiting various newsroom controversies complete nan years and Bezos' evident chumminess pinch President Donald Trump since nan election.

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The New Yorker published a lengthy communicative focusing connected billionaire Jeff Bezos' tenure arsenic nan proprietor of The Washington Post. ((Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

One Post staffer from nan communicative told New Yorker's Clare Malone really "out of touch" Bezos seemed during one-on-one sit-downs pinch a group of The Post's journalists successful January 2023. 

"He is isolated, and he hasn’t done nan activity to prosecute and beryllium a hands-on owner," the journalist told Malone. "If you are going to ain a media spot correct now, you request to beryllium each successful and understand nan landscape." 

However, what's wide seen arsenic a stain connected Bezos' tenure arsenic The Post's proprietor was his unilateral determination to quash nan paper's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris conscionable weeks earlier nan 2024 election. 

"The non-endorsement shook a batch of group because it was done successful specified a ham-handed manner and that was each Bezos," 1 Post staffer told Fox News Digital. "No 1 would person cared if he’d announced nan argumentation 2 years earlier."

That move by Bezos prompted resignations and much than 250,000 canceled subscriptions from outraged wide readers. It remains unclear if The Post is capable to retrieve from nan long-lasting harm that it caused, nan staffer said. 

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In nan months since, The Post has faced an unprecedented exodus of its apical talent, for illustration nationalist editor Philip Rucker, who went to CNN, managing editor Matea Gold, who went to The New York Times, and apical reporters for illustration Josh Dawsey, who went to The Wall Street Journal, arsenic good arsenic Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, some who fled to The Atlantic. 

Last week, Post newsman Aaron Blake was poached by Rucker, now serving arsenic CNN's elder vice president of editorial strategy and news. 

"Aaron is simply a existent nonaccomplishment but a smart move by Rucker -- CNN will make him a star," nan Post staffer told Fox News Digital. 

While galore Post labor landed jobs astatine different outlets, others near successful protestation of Bezos, including columnists Jannifer Rubin and Eugene Robinson. In January, cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned aft her bosses refused to people a animation that depicted Bezos and others groveling astatine nan feet of then-President-elect Trump. Incidentally, she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize past week for "delivering piercing commentary connected powerful group and institutions pinch deftness, productivity – and a fearlessness that led to her departure from nan news statement aft 17 years."

Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned successful January aft a animation mocking Bezos groveling astatine nan feet of then-President-elect Trump was killed by nan paper. (Screenshot/CNN/AnnTelnaes)

In February, Post sentiment editor David Shipley stepped down aft Bezos ordered columns regularly defending "personal liberties and free markets" and banning viewpoints that reason them. Veteran Post columnist Ruth Marcus besides resigned aft her portion calling retired Bezos' argumentation was killed. The move by Bezos, akin to his non-endorsement decision, reportedly costs nan insubstantial different 250,000 paid subscribers. 

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Morale has ne'er been little astatine The Post, but blasted is not pointed astatine Bezos. Will Lewis, Bezos' hand-picked CEO and patient of The Post, has had a rocky tenure since he began starring nan insubstantial successful 2024. 

Last June, Lewis irked his unit pinch a blunt connection he had during a meeting, telling them "People are not reference your stuff" arsenic he lamented financial losses and a shrinking audience.

"Will has been a shade since July. He couldn’t moreover find nan clip to show up for Pulitzer Day," nan Post staffer said. 

A spokesperson for The Washington Post pushed back, telling Fox News Digital, "Lewis respects nan statement of nan newsroom but regularly attends news and sentiment meetings to show support and encouragement successful due ways." 

Washington Post patient and CEO Will Lewis was often cited successful exit interviews arsenic nan logic why journalists near nan paper, according to The New Yorker's reporter. (Elliott O'Donovan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The New Yorker portion reported staffers attributed their departures from The Post to Lewis' "lack of a discernible scheme for nan paper" successful exit interviews. 

"The thought that nan newsroom is nan logic for nan Post’s struggles is unfair," 1 erstwhile apical editor told The New Yorker. "The newsroom is not ever its ain champion friend, but Will someway convinced Jeff that it is nan problem, erstwhile really location is nary business strategy." 

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Despite nan existent woes The Post faces, nan staffer who said pinch Fox News Digital is not wholly discouraged, citing nan 2 Pulitzer Prizes nan insubstantial nabbed past week and nan various scoops it has landed while covering nan Trump administration. The insider besides credited Bezos for doubling nan size of nan paper's unit and nan resources nan billionaire proprietor has provided, calling it "huge."

"I person thing but acknowledgment and gratitude for Bezos and really he rescued a insubstantial that was spiraling down and astir apt would’ve been a protector now, if not gone," nan Post staffer told Fox News Digital. "I blasted him for being an absent proprietor and letting [former Post publisher) Fred Ryan neglect to capitalize connected nan large boost successful circulation we sewage successful Trump’s first term. Lewis is failing fast, but Bezos again seems excessively distracted to notice."

"You person to support successful mind really bad things were erstwhile Bezos bought The Post. We were stone bottom. We haven’t fallen that acold yet," they added.