Jeff Bezos Emails Washington Post Staff, Signals Support For CEO Amid Ethics Scandal
AP Photo/John Locher, File
Jeff Bezos signaled support for Washington Post CEO Will Lewis in an email to staffers insisting that the “journalistic standards and ethics” of the outlet will not be changing.
CNN’s Oliver Darcy was first to share the staff-wide email from Bezos to employees of his paper.
“Team — I know you’ve already heard this from Will, but I also wanted to weigh in directly: the journalistic standards and ethics at The Post will not change,” Bezos wrote. “To be sure, it can’t be business as usual at The Post. The world is evolving rapidly and we need to change as a business. With your support, we’ll do that and lead this great institution into the future.”
The billionaire continued by insisting the “high standards” of the new outlet will not change under Lewis. He did argue, however, that the business model of the paper needs to change. The Post reported losses upwards of $70 million last year.
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“As the newsroom leaders who’ve been shaping and guiding our coverage, you also know our standards at The Post have always been very high. That can’t change — and it won’t,” Bezos wrote. “You have my full commitment on maintaining the quality, ethics, and standards we all believe in. A huge thank you for continuing to do the work that makes us all proud, and makes this institution so important.”
Lewis’s role with The Post has earned its fair share of critics. There’s been concern about Lewis’s past as he’s faced accusations of using unethical practices to run newsrooms and obtain information for stories. Among changes at the paper has been the announcement of a newsroom to “do social media and service journalism” and the departure of executive editor Sally Buzbee.
