WaPo staffers quit, rebel against Jeff Bezos' new mission for opinion section

After Jeff Bezos announced a "significant" editorial shift that will see the opinion section of the Washington Post focus on pro-American policies, such as free markets and personal liberties, current and former employees at the paper have launched an open rebellion against the billionaire Amazon founder who purchased the paper for $250 million in 2013.

Bezos announced the change on Wednesday, which sent a shockwave to the paper's more liberal news staff. The move was to ensure that the Washington Post opinion section is in support of free markets and personal liberties, but staffers are not happy, according to CNN.

Top opinion editor David Shipley resigned from his position over the change. Bezos said in a post, "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."

Marty Baron, the Post's former executive editor, accused Bezos of "betraying The Post's longstanding principles." While Bezos wants personal liberties celebrated in the opinion section of the paper, Baron claimed that Bezos has undermined personal liberties by "cravenly yielding to a president who shows no respect for liberty."

Bezos, who also owns the space company Blue Origin, famously blocked the paper from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. He then attended President Trump's inauguration in January.

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

Other WaPo staffers have decided to quit entirely, such as Amanda Katz, who described Bezos' announcement as "an absolute abandonment of the principles of accountability of the powerful, justice, democracy, human rights, and accurate information that previously animated the section in favor of a white male billionaire's self-interested agenda."

Although Bezos' modifications are exclusively directed at the opinion section, at least two reporters publicly asserted that they would not tolerate an overreach in the newsroom. Jeff Stein, a correspondent for the Post Economy, wrote on X that the changes are a "massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos."

"If Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know," said Stein.

While announcing the changes, Bezos wrote: "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’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America," Bezos continued. "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."