Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was criticized by liberal commentators after the announcement of a major change to the opinion section of his paper on Wednesday, where critics accused him of bent his knees to President Donald Trump.
New Yorker David Remnick joined MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday to discuss the post, saying, “This is a horrifying tragedy. It's a Pentagon paper, a paper like Watergate.”
“And Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post for half the price of his boat. He treated it like a rubber dinghy. It's a terrible tragedy,” continued Remnick. He claimed that Bezos was “threw his hand and kissing the circle of American presidents.”
Bezos announced on Wednesday that its post-opinion page will be completely revamped, focusing on “Writing Everyday with the Support and Defence of Two Pillars of Personal Freedom and Free Market.” David Shipley, the paper's opinion editor, has also resigned.
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos hopes for a more conservative opinion writer on paper: Report
Billionaire Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos announces new changes to the post-opinion section. ((Photo: Karwai Tang/Wireimage) Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)
Post's publisher and CEO William Lewis also issued a statement on Wednesday regarding the changes, saying, “This is not about surveillance with political parties. This is clear about what we represent as a newspaper.
The post opened fire after Bezos stopped the editorial page from supporting former vice president Kamala Harris via Trump in 2024, and encouraged several staff members to leave the paper. The paper approved former President Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Former Washington Post editor Marty Baron also denounced the Post in a conversation with “Morning Joe” when host Joe Scarborough asked him to talk about the shake-up.
“I agree with free expression. You know, it's in the First Amendment. And news organizations have always respected free expression by having different perspectives on their opinion pages,” the Baron said.
“But Bezos is just closing it down. And he says that only his perspective will be represented on those pages. And it's really a betrayal of the legacy of the Washington Post. And I think it's a betrayal of the idea of free expression,” he added.
Wapo columnist calls Jeff Bezos' “Bulls.”
Washington Post building in DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Jim Vandehei, founder of Axios, told “Morning Joe” that Bezos is among multiple owners of media companies that are “buckled.”
“I'm surprised he didn't just close the opinion page,” Vandehei told MSNBC. “If you want to be a 'American Paper', I'll put all my money in the report. That's how he explains it. Perhaps you need a lot of reporters in America to do your job. Sounds strange. ”
CNN's Abby Phillip had two panelists at the show Wednesday night. He said Bezos' latest announcement is only part of the problem.
“I'm using the hashtags #Breken Times and #BrekenPost. Both papers' headlines are constantly off and I'm always trying to soft pedal what's going on.”
“We're in the midst of this country's totalitarian fascist coup. And when we don't call it, when we soft-pedal about it, when we're not having a real discussion about it – at least here I can say those words, we can have that argument, but you can't see those words in the New York Times or the Washington Post,” he continued.
Touré, another panelist and author of Substack, added, “To be honest, news banners about CNN and MSNBC need to be broken all day, 'We're currently in dictatorship.'”
Washington Post Union rebelling staff to not support presidential candidates and denounce Bezos
Professor Jeff Jarvis of Stony Brook University opposed Bezos' announcement of the post on Wednesday. (Screenshot/CNN)
Jarvis also reflects Bezos' focus on personal freedom and the free market.
“This is an outrageous game of words that is happening here. I mean, I don't believe in personal freedom, I don't believe in free markets. Until a month ago, we were living in a democratic, capitalist country.
Jarvis said, “He's signaling that he's going to use these kinds of made words to say, 'I'm with Trump.' And like you said, he owns it.
The move also prompted criticism from prominent Democrats, including California Sen. Adam Schiff.
“The Washington Post will disguise its opinions that under the guise of promoting “personal freedom,” restrict editors' freedoms and disallow the owner's business interests,” Schiff tweeted.
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“It turns out that democracy is dying at the hands of oligarchs,” says D-Ky. said Morgan McGarvey of the lawmakers.
Michael Schaffer from Politico I wrote it in the column For the outlet magazine on Wednesday, it's a reference to the Washington Post slogan that democracy was “dead in the dark.”
“By making a dramatic spinning of the editing line and making personal announcements that he has not actually carried out any objections, Bezos added another incisive example to the narrative representing a serious threat to the post's image.
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The Washington Post did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
