Washington Post columnist resigns after her column criticizing Jeff Bezos' overhaul of opinion section was spiked

A political columnist for The Washington Post resigned Monday after accusing the outlet’s publisher, Will Lewis, of not running her column that criticized the paper’s owner Jeff Bezos's attempt to change the focus of the opinion pages.

Columnist and Associate Editor Ruth Marcus, who has worked at the Post for 40 years, wrote in a resignation letter obtained by NPR, "Jeff's announcement that the opinion section will henceforth not publish views that deviate from the pillars of individual liberties and free markets threatens to break the trust of readers that columnists are writing what they believe, not what the owner has deemed acceptable.”

Last month, Opinions Editor David Shipley resigned after failing to convince Bezos to not pursue his new direction for the section, and over 75,000 digital subscribers canceled in the 48 hours after Bezos announced his plan. Associate Editor David Maraniss, Senior Managing Editor Cameron Barr, and contributors to the opinions section also resigned. In October, Bezos wouldn’t allow his outlet to endorse Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and over 300,000 digital subscribers canceled their subscriptions.

The executive chairman of Amazon and founder of Blue Origin wrote in an op-ed explaining his decision to overhaul the opinion section, "What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it's the right one."

Marcus said, "Will's decision to not …run the column that I wrote respectfully dissenting from Jeff's edict - something that I have not experienced in almost two decades of column-writing - underscores that the traditional freedom of columnists to select the topics they wish to address and say what they think has been dangerously eroded."

Marcus, who served at the Post as a reporter, deputy national editor, editorial writer, and deputy editorial page editor before becoming a columnist and associate editor, concluded her resignation letter by saying, "I love the Post. It breaks my heart to conclude that I must leave. I have the deepest affection and admiration for my colleagues and will miss them every day. And I wish you both the best as you steer this storied and critical institution through troubled times."

A spokesperson for the paper said in a statement to NPR, "We're grateful for Ruth's significant contributions to The Washington Post over the past 40 years. We respect her decision to leave and wish her the best."