More than 400 staffers at the Washington Post have written a letter requesting a meeting with Jeff Bezos amid concerns about the paper’s future.
The letter, signed by prominent journalists and correspondents and sent Tuesday night, implores Mr. Bezos, who is known to rarely visit the Washington Post offices, to meet in person with the office’s leadership. are.
“We are deeply concerned by recent leadership decisions that break with our tradition of transparency and cause our readers to question the integrity of this organization, prompting the departure of some of our most prominent colleagues, and threatening many more. “I am deeply concerned about your impending retirement,” the letter said. NPR first reported the letter.
“This is about maintaining our competitive edge, restoring lost trust and re-establishing a relationship with leadership based on open communication.”
The letter claims these concerns are unrelated to Bezos’ recent decision to end support for US presidential candidates, which the letter authors acknowledge is an “owner’s prerogative.” are.
The Post lost 250,000 subscribers, or 10% of its subscriber base, following the decision not to endorse it. According to the Wall Street Journal, this was a major factor in the paper’s massive loss of $100 million in 2024.
The number of digital visitors to the Washington Post website also declined, dropping from 114 million in November 2020 to 54 million in November 2024.
The staffers’ plea comes a week after the Post laid off about 100 employees, a sign of the paper’s financial woes. About 4% of the magazine’s staff were cut.
The company’s CEO, Will Lewis, has been at the center of unrest among employees since taking over in November 2023.
Top news editor Sally Buzbee resigned in June after Lewis decided to reorganize the newsroom. Editor Robert Winnett, chosen by Lewis to replace her, withdrew from consideration following backlash from staff.
Several opinion staff reporters resigned after the Post announced it would no longer endorse presidential candidates. Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Anne Telnes quit the paper after her cartoon about a billionaire capitulating to Trump was refused publication.
The Post reports that all of Trump’s confirmed candidates, with the exception of Pete Hegseth for the Pentagon, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Russell Vought for the Office of Management and Budget, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health Secretary, supported all.
