Washington Post media critic reports on internal turmoil plaguing the Jeff Bezos-owned publication, including the decision to scrap an editorial cartoon depicting the Amazon billionaire fawning over President-elect Donald Trump He blamed his own paper for failing to do so.
Eric Wemple didn't throw any punches during the match. live chat session When asked by readers about the controversial decision to scrap the comic strip that led to Pulitzer Prize winner Ann Ternas' resignation, she replied:
“The Post has a long history of in-depth coverage of internal issues. But there has been no word from the news station's media desk on this issue, except for the Associated Press article on our website. I just did it,” Wemple said Monday.
He went on to say that recently appointed editor-in-chief Matt Murray defended the decision as part of a new policy of not “hiding ourselves” as we are “caught up in conflict”. .
Mr Wemple said Mr Murray told him: I set it up a few weeks ago, so there's nothing particularly related to the manga. ”
Wemple abandoned the new 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. “I believe our subscribers appreciate it,” he said.
Beltway newspapers have experienced a wave of defections in recent months after Mr. Bezos ended his support for Vice President Kamala Harris weeks before the Nov. 5 election. Approximately 250,000 readers reportedly canceled their subscriptions following this decision.
To Trump. antenna.substack
Paper spiked her cartoon. Facebook/Anne Ternes
Tuesday, New York Times reported As Mr. Bezos and publisher Will Lewis struggle to offset declining print revenue and change the direction of the paper's left-leaning reporting, WaPo has hired 4% of its employees in business units such as advertising sales and marketing, The company plans to lay off about 100 people.
A Post representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wemple, who joined WaPo in 2017, has been candid about his outlet's failures.
In 2022, Wemple reported on the drama in the newsroom. It happened after an erroneous piece written by colleague Taylor Lorenz. Lorenz left the paper in 2024 amid another scandal in which she branded President Biden a “war criminal” in a social media post and lied to her boss about it.
Mr. Wemple has had a lot to chew on over the past year when it comes to his paper. The Washington Post has been at the center of a media firestorm over growing tensions between Lewis and his staff, including the sudden decision to resign from executive editor Sally Buzbee.
Rob Winnett was nominated by Lewis to replace Buzbee, but he declined the position after Post reporters questioned the editor-in-chief's past as a journalist.
Recently, several prominent political reporters have joined the Atlantic, including Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, and Josh Dorsey, an investigative political reporter who left the Wall Street Journal. The reporter left the paper.
