“We need a clear vision”

More than 400 Washington Post journalists sent an angry letter to owner Jeff Bezos on Wednesday, pleading with him to intervene at the paper’s direction to restore the “trust that has been lost.”

The move comes as the Beltway newspaper has seen a growing list of prominent journalists headed for the exit after Bezos intervened to block the newspaper from supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

Bezos defended the decision in an opinion piece for the newspaper, which saw nearly 300,000 readers cancel their subscriptions in the days after the endorsement was rescinded.

“You recently wrote that it was essential to ensure the long-term success and editorial independence of this journal. We agree and we believe you are as proud of The Washington Post as we are,” the letter begins.

“We are deeply alarmed by recent leadership decisions that have led readers to question the integrity of this institution, broken with a tradition of transparency, and caused some of our most prominent colleagues to leave, with other imminent departures. »

The letter, signed by many of the paper’s other star journalists, goes on to point out that the issues go beyond approval, which they say is the “owner’s prerogative.”

“This is about regaining our competitive advantage, restoring lost trust and reestablishing a relationship with leadership based on open communication,” the letter said.

Staff rebelled against the appointment of Will Lewis as CEO. The former Wall Street Journal publisher tried to push the left-leaning publication further into the middle and banned its journalists from reporting on the paper — particularly after Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned at because of an illustration that had been abandoned.

She had ridiculed Bezos and other tech titans for bending the knee to President-elect Donald Trump.

The letter “urged” the Amazon founder to come to the office and meet with Postal Service executives as he has in the past for a debriefing of what is happening.

“We understand the need for change and we look forward to presenting the news in innovative ways. But we need a clear vision that we can believe in,” they wrote, before adding that they remain committed to journalism that holds power to account and pursues stories “without fear or favor.” .

The letter concluded: “As you wrote when you took ownership of The Post in 2013, ‘The Post’s values ​​do not need to change.’ We urge you to support us in reaffirming these values.

The Washington Post declined to comment.

Representatives for Bezos did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Since Lewis took the helm last summer, the editor has ousted Sally Buzbee, the paper’s first female editor, and bluntly told reporters at an internal meeting: “People don’t read your stories . »

At the time, Lewis told staff that the paper lost $77 million in 2023 and that its digital subscriber base had declined significantly since 2020.

In November, the site attracted 54 million digital visitors, less than half the 114 million in November 2020, according to Comscore data.

Earlier this month, the newspaper laid off about 100 employees in its business divisions.

In recent weeks, political correspondents Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, as well as White House correspondent Tyler Pager and investigative reporter Josh Dawsey, have decamped for other media outlets.

Three members of the Opinions section – David Hoffman, Molly Roberts and Robert Kagan – resigned following the decision not to support any candidate for the first time in decades.