‘Deeply alarmed’: Washington Post staff request meeting with Jeff Bezos
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Journalists say in letter ‘trust has been lost’ and seek in-person meeting with billionaire owner over paper’s future. Over 400 staff members at the Washington Post have sent a letter to Jeff Bezos asking for a meeting with him during a time of widespread concern about the future of the newspaper.
The letter, signed by top journalists and correspondents and sent on Tuesday evening, pleads for Bezos, who is known to rarely visit the Post’s office in Washington, to meet in person with leaders at the office. “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 prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave, with more departures imminent,” the letter reads. NPR first reported the letter.
“This is about retaining our competitive edge, restoring trust that has been lost, and re-establishing a relationship with leadership based on open communication,” it continues. The letter claims these concerns are unrelated to Bezos’ recent decision to end its endorsement of US presidential candidates, which the letter writers acknowledge as “the owner’s prerogative”.
The Post lost 250,000 subscribers, or 10% of its subscription base, following its decision not to endorse. This reportedly was a massive contributor to the paper losing a whopping $100 million in 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal. Digital visitors for the Washington Post website are also down, dropping from 114 million in November 2020 to 54 million in November 2024.
