The Washington Post's in-house media critic harshly criticized the paper's new policy of avoiding reporting as the newsroom continues to face turmoil.
Eric Wemple, the Post's resident news industry guru, was flooded with questions from readers during Monday's article. live chat session Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Ternas recently spoke out after her boss rejected her illustration of billionaire Post owner Jeff Bezos cringing at President-elect Donald Trump. About the ongoing drama plaguing the “Democracy Dies in Darkness” paper, including his resignation.
Mr. Wemple was asked directly why the Post did not report Mr. Ternas' departure from the paper.
“The Post has a long history of in-depth coverage of internal issues. But there was nothing from the newsroom's media desk on this issue, only the Associated Press article we posted on our website. ” replied Mr. Wemple. “I asked editor-in-chief Matt Murray about the paper's evolving approach to the workplace, and he said: “I have a policy that we should not cover ourselves extensively.'' I have many inherent contradictions. Of course, that can be helpful in some cases, but most news organizations, of course, have the same or similar policies that I had set in place a few weeks ago, so it's especially It's not related. comics. '”
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Washington Post cartoonist Ann Ternas has resigned after the paper refused to publish an illustration mocking billionaire owner Jeff Bezos. (Screenshot/CNN/AnnTelnaes)
Media critics privately rejected this policy.
Mr. Wemple responded, “I cannot disagree more with that policy.” “The Post's aggressive reporting of its own missteps and scandals over the years has differentiated it from many news organizations that refuse to hold themselves to the same rules as politicians, CEOs, and professional athletes. That's something I believe our subscribers appreciate.”
“For example, after the uproar over the Post's pro-presidential policies in October, I heard concerns from members of the media about this very dynamic movement. How do they know about Zoomway? As for Murray's claim that there is a conflict of interest, of course there is! They're so big that they don't even need to be declared, but Post journalists have managed to overcome them for decades, in confrontations, in stories about their own colleagues, in the hallways and on Zoomways all the time. It's clear that our readers appreciate all of this work, just dealing with the awkwardness that happens,” Wemple added.
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Matt Murray, executive editor of the Washington Post, said the paper had introduced new “policies” that the paper itself would not cover. (Robert Miller/Washington Post via Getty Images)
A Washington Post spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Murray's comments speak for themselves and had no further comment.
Mr. Wemple, a media opinion writer who works separately from his fellow reporters in the Post's newsroom, has not been shy about criticizing his employer.
He has reported for the Post himself in the past. In 2022, Wemple reported on the behind-the-scenes drama that followed an erroneous article written by Taylor Lorenz (who left the Post in 2024).
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Washington Post media critic Eric Wemple criticized top editor Matt Murray's new policy and said the paper should not be reporting on itself. (Screenshot/Washington Post)
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Murray was selected as acting editor last year by then-incoming Post publisher Will Lewis. According to recent reports, Murray assume the role permanently After an exhaustive search for another candidate failed.
Over the past year, The Washington Post has been plagued by newsroom tensions between Mr. Lewis and his staff, massive financial losses, anger over Mr. Bezos' decision to rescind the paper's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris; And it has become the center of media controversy, leading to an unprecedented exodus of citizens. Top talents who have left newspapers in recent weeks.
