Washington Post Editor Quits Rather Than Bending to Bezos' Demand to Eliminate Opposing 'Viewpoints' From Opinion Section

Changes made to the operations of The Washington Post's Opinion section by the outlet's billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, have caused the publication's Opinion Editor to resign from his position.

Bezos took to social media to announce the changes, sharing a lengthy post on X.

"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," Bezos wrote.

"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," he continued.

Effectively, Bezos stated that the publication's Opinion section would no longer publish all viewpoints and perspectives, stating that it no longer needed to represent them due to them having been represented elsewhere online.

These operational changes resulted in the resignation of Opinion Editor David Shipley, who took on the role of heading the section in 2022.

"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," Bezos continued in his post on X. "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."

Shipley also emailed the publication's editorial board to explain his decision to them.

"I will always be thankful for the opportunity I was given to work alongside a team of opinion journalists whose commitment to strong, innovative, reported commentary inspired me every day — and was affirmed by two Pulitzer Prizes and two Loeb Awards in two short years," Shipley wrote in the email.

"This is about being crystal clear about what we stand for as a newspaper," Post publisher and CEO William Lewis reassured employees in an email sent out to them on Wednesday, in which he reiterates that the changes being made by the publication are not in alignment with any political party.

Originally published by Latin Times.