Bezos Reshapes WaPo's Opinion Section, Editor Exits

Says paper will write in support of personal liberties and free markets
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 26, 2025 11:03 AM CST
Bezos Reshapes WaPo' s Opinion Section, Editor Exits
Jeff Bezos speaks at the Amazon re:MARS convention in Las Vegas on June 6, 2019.   (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has a new vision for the paper's opinion sector, and it's one that has spurred the exit of opinion editor David Shipley. Going forward, the section will write "every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets," Bezos wrote in a note to staff that he posted to X on Wednesday. The Post will continue to cover other topics, "but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others," he noted. More:

  • Bezos quote I: "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."
  • Bezos quote II: "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."
  • Bezos quote III: "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."
  • On Shipley's exit: In his note, Bezos wrote that he asked Shipley if he wanted to continue to helm the section as it begins its next chapter. "I suggested to him that if the answer wasn't 'hell yes,' then it had to be 'no,'" Bezos wrote.

  • The New York Times' take: "The new direction envisioned for the Post's opinion section appears to be a rightward shift for the paper. Mr. Bezos' new focus echoes what has long been the informal tagline of the Wall Street Journal's conservative opinion pages: 'Free markets, free people.'"
  • From inside the Post: Chief economics reporter Jeff Stein had this to say on X: Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post's opinion section today - makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there. I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know."
  • Elon Musk's reaction: He's pleased, writing simply, "Bravo, @Jeff Bezos!"
(More Jeff Bezos stories.)

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