The Washington Post has surged a column by media critics about Jeff Bezos' decision to reorganize the editorial pages of the newspaper, according to the report.
Eric Wempple was pivot, the founder of Amazon, focusing on American values such as “personal freedom and the free market,” but his article was never published, According to the Gene Pool Newsletter.
Someone from the Washington Post read the column, described it to Genepool as “more mystical and sad, or angry or terrifying.”
Satireist and former Washington Post columnist Jean Weingarten wrote in his newsletter that he reached out to Wempple after realising that media critics had no published work analysing the move.
“I called Eric, who I think is a friend, and asked if he was still planning on writing. He said something I've never heard of from him or other media critics: no comments, not on record or off,” Weingarten wrote.
Wemple also said “no hints were provided,” according to Weingarten.
“There are no winks or nudges. Nothing. He apologised, but I totally understood,” Weingarten added.
A Washington Post spokesman could not immediately comment.
The Washington Post has published a story about Bezos's announcement.
However, as Weingarten pointed out, the article did not include mentioning criticism from former and current staff, including former editor Marty Baron.
Baron condemned the move as “betrayal of free expression,” and he was “applauded” by the decision.
The Baron is called Bezos' Pivot and is called “the betrayal of free expression.”
Critics argue that the shift undermines the newspaper's diverse perspective tradition, and that it could reflect an attempt to more closely align with President Donald Trump, particularly following Bezos' intervention to approve Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
However, supporters believe that this focus provides clarity and strengthens the core values of the paper.
Bezos said his decision stems from his belief that these perspectives are underestimated in current media discourse and that other media already offer a broader perspective.
The mogul wrote that he offered Shipley the opportunity to stay at work and help guide him through “this new chapter,” but Shipley instead wrote that he “decided to run away.”
