Notorious Never Trumper Jennifer Rubin has parted ways with the Washington Post, which has been sending readers in droves since Joe Biden took office four years ago.
Rubin, who wrote for WaPo's opinion section for 14 years, has left the publication. CNN reported on Monday, claiming that the station and other mainstream media outlets have “failed spectacularly at a time when a robust and active free press is needed most.”
“I'm worried that the situation at the post is getting worse and worse,” she added.
Specifically, Rubin took issue with WaPo owner Jeff Bezos' decision to withdraw his support for Vice President Kamala Harris in October. He also noted that Amazon, another of Bezos' businesses, donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.
Rubin will now work with former Obama official and Trump impeachment lawyer Norm Eisen on Substack, titled “Contrarian.” Rubin is the editor-in-chief and Eisen is the publisher.
With the tagline “Not owned by anyone,” the Contrarians are calling out “pro-democracy” voices, especially those who dared question the 2020 election or those who stormed the Capitol without permission on Jan. 6. It promises to lift up the voices that once condemned those who passed through it. 2021. Substack will offer some free content starting Monday, but will eventually charge subscribers $7 a month for full access.
“Our goal is to fight with all our heart and soul the authoritarian threats that we face,” Rubin told CNN, adding that too many reporters these days are worried about President-elect Donald Trump's re-election. He added that he was “bowing the knee” to the president. within a few days.
“The voices we cover are diverse across political parties and generations,” Eisen said in a statement. “We need unfettered media to meet this moment, as we face an existential threat to American democracy.” It is tied to a shared belief that we need . ”
“Our industry is in the midst of a major transformation.”
Rubin is not the only person leaving his post. The media outlet plans to lay off 100 people, or about 4% of its workforce, but the newsroom will not be affected. wall street journal Reported. This latest round of layoffs comes after store reductions 240 journalists In October 2023.
The layoffs are not surprising given the significant decline in readership in recent years. In January 2021, traffic on the WaPo website soared to 22.5 million daily active users, according to . semaphores. By mid-2024, that number had fallen to an average of 2.5 million to 3 million.
Notably, 250,000 WaPo readers canceled their subscriptions after learning of the uproar over the Harris support, but a source told the Journal that many of those subscribers have since returned.
WaPo's revenue also declined. The outlet lost $77 million in 2023 alone and another $100 million last year. Advertising spending also fell from $190 million in 2023 to just $174 million in 2024.
“Our industry is in the midst of a major transformation,” a spokesperson told the Journal. “The Post is committed to innovating, creating and moving forward to bring nonpartisan news and thought-provoking journalistic views to all Americans.”
H/T: post-millennial generation
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