Bezos intervenes in the Opinion section of the 'Washington Post' to prioritize articles on "personal freedoms and free markets"

Washington Post Opinion Editor David Shipley has decided to resign from his position after the newspaper's owner, Jeff Bezos, decided to change the editorial direction of the newspaper. The billionaire founder of Amazon wrote in a message to the staff that he also posted on social media that the Post will give priority to personal freedoms and the free market in this section from now on.

“I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages. We will be writing every day in support of and defense of two pillars: personal freedoms and the free market. Of course, we will cover other topics as well, but views that oppose those pillars will be published by others,” Bezos said in his message.

“There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring a broad-based opinion section that tried to cover all points of view to the reader’s door every morning. Today, the Internet does that job,” argues Bezos, who is closing the newspaper’s doors to editorials and columns that go against personal freedoms and the free market. The businessman who was expected to give the Post a great digital boost and with whom the media has grown in subscriptions, presents in his message the Internet as something alien to the Washington Post, when in reality it is the way it reaches a larger audience.

“I am an American and I am proud to be one. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in economic and other realms. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention and prosperity,” says Bezos to justify the newspaper’s new priorities in the opinion area.

The Post did not have such clear priorities, but the new direction seems to be a shift to the right and a move closer to the editorial positions of The Wall Street Journal, the great defender of capitalism and the free market among the American media.

Approaching Trump

Bezos has cultivated a closeness to Donald Trump in recent months. He decided that the Post would not take a position in favor of Democrat Kamala Harris before the presidential elections in November. That decision resulted in a sharp loss of subscribers. After the Republican's victory, he paid homage to him with a visit to Mar-a-Lago, his mansion in Palm Beach (Florida) and donated money to him for the presidential transition process, in the same way as other technology magnates. Bezos was one of the select guests at Trump's inauguration ceremony on January 20 at the Capitol.

The Amazon founder, whose fortune is valued at more than 230 billion euros, explains in his message that he offered Shipley to lead this new stage of editorial direction in the Opinion section. “I suggested that if the answer was not 'yes, of course', then it had to be 'no'. After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant change, it will not be easy and it will require 100% commitment; I respect his decision. We will look for a new opinion director to take charge of this new direction. I am confident that free markets and personal freedoms are right for the United States. I also believe that these points of view are underserved in the current market for news ideas and opinions. I am excited that together we can fill that void,” concludes Bezos' message.

Focusing more on personal freedoms and the free market and, therefore, less on other causes such as inequality, social injustice, corruption or political abuses has implications for the direction of its opinion content. The company's CEO, William Lewis, also sent a message to employees applauding and justifying the decision: “This is not about taking the side of any political party. It is about being crystal clear about what we stand for as a newspaper. Doing this is a fundamental part of serving as a top-tier news publication across the United States and for all Americans,” he said in his message.

For his part, Shipley signed off with an email to the editorial staff: “I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given to work alongside a team of opinion journalists whose commitment to strong, innovative and informed commentary inspired me every day, and was reaffirmed by two Pulitzer Prizes and two Loeb Prizes in two short years,” he wrote.

The decision has caused anger in part of the newspaper's editorial staff. The most notable reaction has been that of its economic correspondent Jeff Stein: "Jeff Bezos's massive intrusion into The Washington Post 's opinion section today makes it clear that dissenting opinions will not be published or tolerated there. I have not yet felt any intrusion into my journalism in news coverage, but if Bezos tries to interfere in the news section, I will resign immediately and let him know," he tweeted.