Another big name from the Washington Post is closing up shop as a result of owner Jeff Bezos' recent coverage changes. "The announced 'significant shift' in our section's mission has spurred me to decide that it's time for my next chapter," Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene Robinson, who's been with the paper for 45 years, said in an email to staff seen by the New York Times. The "shift" Robinson speaks of refers to Bezos' recent mandate that, going forward, all Post opinion pieces must concentrate on the "two pillars" of "personal liberties and free markets."
Per Poynter, Robinson is the third defection since Bezos' late February announcement: Opinions editor David Shipley left as soon as the news broke, while veteran columnist Ruth Marcus quit the paper in protest in March, after she says publisher Will Lewis refused to publish her column critical of Bezos' decision. Robinson, who also shows up regularly on NBC and MSNBC broadcasts as a political analyst, joined the paper in 1980 and began writing opinion pieces in 2005. In 2009, he won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary for his take on Barack Obama's campaign and election.
Robinson isn't going out with any sour grapes, at least not publicly. "I wish nothing but the very best for the paper and for all of you," he writes in his goodbye note. "I won't be a stranger, and I'll be reading your unparalleled work every single day." The Post, for its part, is wishing Robinson well on his "retirement." "For 45 years, his reporting and commentary spanned continents and beats, earning countless recognitions, including a Pulitzer Prize," a Post spokesperson says, per the Wrap. "Eugene's strong perspective and impeccable integrity have regularly shaped our public discourse, cementing his legacy as a leading voice in American journalism." (More Washington Post stories.)
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