Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos announced on Wednesday newspaper will undergo a “significant shift” in its opinion section, focusing more on the “support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”
The stunning announcement prompted WaPa Opinion Editor David Shipley to hand in his resignation.
Read the full message below:
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.
The announcement follows a longtime goal of Bezos to shift the newspaper towards a more moderate stance and reach underserved markets.
In October 2024, Bezos reportedly urged the Post to hire more conservative columnists as the newspaper faced massive subscription cancellations.
Bezos has grown increasingly warm toward President Donald Trump, donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and attending the inauguration. (RELATED: Inaugural Drama: Bezos & Zuckerberg RSVP ‘Yes’ To Trump; Michelle Obama Refuses To Attend)
Shortly before the start of Trump’s second term, Bezos said he was “very optimistic” about Trump’s plans and then dined with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago.
“He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation,” Bezos added during a December interview. “And my point of view, if I can help him do that, I’m going to help him because we do have too much regulation in this country. This country is so set up to grow.”
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I still don’t trust him.