Naomi Girson | staff writer

The Washington Post will only publish opinions in favor of two pillars; “personal liberties and free markets,” per a Feb. 26 ruling from its billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos.

“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 news,” Bezos said in the email. “Today, the internet does that job.

As a result of Bezos’s change, David Shipley, the opinions editor at The Washington Post since 2022, resigned.

The Washington Post editors who haven’t quit, are not choosing to write on personal liberties and free markets because it is a representation of the opinion of the editorial section, instead it is a representation of Bezos’s personal views.

The Washington Post, though owned by him, is not a publication built to serve Bezos, it is a news organization, and its main goal should be to keep their audience well informed with unbiased and truthful news reporting.

Journalists, even those who once defended some of Bezos’s choices, like Shipley, are stepping away as his intentions to control the media become clearer.

Other employees at The Washington Post have had somewhat similar discourse about their workplace and its ownership. Jeff Stein, their White House economics reporter was vocal on X about the distaste he had with Bezos’s invasion of the opinions section.

“Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today — makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there,” Stein said on X. “I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with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.”

Though Stein is currently still working at The Washington Post, there is a clear divide between the owner, who once claimed to be “hands-off” with the paper, and the reporter and editors who keep the paper alive.

They do not all praise him, and some, like Stein outwardly criticize him, but regardless, as long as Bezos owns the publication he can make decisions to run what he pleases, undermining the journalistic integrity of The Washington Post, with obvious political affiliations.

In January, Ann Telnaes, a well-renowned cartoonist for The Washington Post, also resigned, after a comic of hers depicting President Donald Trump as a giant man in a suit on a pedestal, with three CEOs bowing to him with bags of money, was not approved to run in the paper, according to NPR.

Telnaes told NPR that since she began working for The Washington Post in 2008, she had never been restricted from publication for her political cartoons.

Her cartoon was inspired by the trip Bezos and like-minded individuals took to Mar-a-lago in December, and the promised millions of dollars the same men were offering to Trump’s campaign.

Shipley was in favor of the decision, saying the choice not to run the comic was due to repetition, with a satire column in the same section on the same day being on the same topic as the cartoon.

The week of Jan. 25, a letter to the editor to The Washington Post expressed the grievances they had with Shipley’s sentiments.

“Editorial page editor David Shipley insulted readers’ intelligence with his explanation for refusing to run Ann Telnaes cartoon critical of Post owner Jeff Bezos,” the letter began.

The writer continued by pointing out the contradictions in Shipley’s excuse, citing examples of the same topics being written about within weeks, or even days.

They believed that Shipley’s choice against Telnaes’s cartoon was steering The Washington Post away from editorial independence and he undermined trust with his decision and explanation.

The audience of The Washington Post needs to stay aware, and with the loss of subscriptions as of late, it is clear the public is paying attention to Bezos’s control.

Bezos’s moves are to serve the best interest of him and the Trump administration. The more power Bezos gives Trump, the further The Washington Post will stray from their original motivations.

Bezos and Trump are starting to dictate the narratives of the media, and the longer and more powerful they grow, the less the media can do to combat the problem.

The Washington Post, as it stands, is not sustainable, and the journalists involved need to take after Telnaes and Shipley and step away before they lose their First Amendment right, all together.

In the month leading up to the presidential election in November, Bezos prevented the editorial section from endorsing Kamala Harris, as they had planned, with them instead telling readers to make up their own minds.

In light of events including Telnaes’s departure, the shift in the opinions section and the denial of left-wing political endorsements, have caused the loss of 200,000 subscribers, according to Reuters.

The more involved Bezos becomes with The Washington Post, the more internal turmoil has been generated at the paper. It is apparent he is unfit to determine the paper’s editorial policy.

The editorial staff cannot do their jobs as they have, with Bezos’s ruling. It would be dishonest of them to take stances they do not personally support, but they will not be published if they write in opposition to Bezos’s pillars.

Business Insider compared the change to The Wall Street Journal, and their right-wing leaning opinions, while still keeping moderate and more neutral news reporting. However, The Wall Street Journal is not suppressing the opinions of their writers.