Many journalists and other liberal activists freaked out on Wednesday after Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and compassionate steward of the failing Washington Post, expressed his support for "personal liberties" and "free markets." The billionaire's remarks came in a bland memo to Post staff announcing changes to the paper's opinion section, as well as the departure of opinion editor David Shipley, who evidently did not share Bezos's view that freedom is good.
Full disclosure: Both Bezos (2024) and Shipley (2023) are winners of the coveted Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year award.
"We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We'll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others," Bezos wrote. "I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America's success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else."
Bezos went on to say that Shipley was given the opportunity to "lead this new chapter" at the Post opinion section, but the editor declined after "careful consideration." Shipley had already challenged Bezos over the owner's decision to withhold a presidential endorsement (of Kamala Harris, obviously) during the 2024 election. He told Post employees at the time that the decision, which prompted a number of resignations, was a threat to the paper's reputation as an "independent journalistic organization."
Just as they did when Bezos declined to let his editorial board publish a meaningless endorsement of Kamala Harris that would have changed precisely zero minds, journalists at the Post and beyond were outraged in response to the memo endorsing personal and economic freedom. Shipley held an "emotional" meeting on Wednesday with staff who were "shocked and stunned," according to the New York Times.
Jeff Stein, an economics reporter at the Post, slammed Bezos's pro-freedom remarks as a "massive encroachment" on the opinion section that made clear "dissenting views" on the benefits of freedom "will not be published or tolerated there." Stein acknowledged that Bezos has never interfered with his reporting. Philip Bump, one of several openly Democratic columnists at the Post, had a more succinct reaction. "What the actual fuck," he wrote on Bluesky, the social media app for obnoxious liberals.
Kara Swisher, the liberal tech journalist who is trying to buy the Post from Bezos, agreed that Bump had asked "the right question." Writing on Bluesky, obviously, Swisher went on to denounce Bezos as an "utterly shameless" "adult toddler" who had "killed … the First Amendment and basic humanity in a vomitous spew of nonsense."
Mehdi Hasan, the former MSNBC host whose show was canceled due to low ratings and anti-Semitism, argued that Bezos's support for personal and economic freedom was an attack on "progressive opinions." Edward Luce, a columnist for the Financial Times, slammed Bezos for his lack of "dignity." Amanda Katz, who resigned from the Post opinion section in December, was also very upset with the decision to promote freedom. "RIP, WaPo," she wrote on Bluesky. "An absolute abandonment of the principles of accountability of the powerful, justice, democracy, human rights, and accurate information that previously animated the section in favor of a white male billionaire's self-interested agenda."
Karen Attiah, the Post columnist who was recently confronted at a book event in Washington, D.C., over her sympathy for Hamas terrorists, had this to say about working for a boss who wants to promote freedom and other American values: "Deep breaths." Attiah, who defended the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack as justified attempt at "decolonization," was particularly outraged after Bezos barred the editorial board from endorsing Harris, calling it an "absolute stab in the back" and an "insult to those of us who have literally put our careers and lives on the line, to call out threats to human rights and democracy."
Jennifer Rubin, the annoying former Post columnist who allegedly resigned in January to start a "pro-democracy" website, was predictably livid. "Truly saddened by an oligarch with vested interest in sucking up to the Musk-Trump presidency destroying a great American newspaper," she wrote on Bluesky. "Aside from the moral outrage what a stupid business move."
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