The Washington Post is undergoing a major editorial shift after its owner, Jeff Bezos, announced a new focus for the newspaper’s opinion section. Moving forward, the publication will strongly advocate for two key principles: personal liberties and free markets.
In a message to staff, Bezos stated that while other topics would still be covered, opinions opposing these core values would no longer be featured in the paper. “The internet now serves as a platform for a broad range of views,” he noted, explaining the rationale behind the decision.
As part of this change, Washington Post opinion editor David Shipley has stepped down. Bezos had invited him to lead the new direction but made it clear that full commitment was required. “If the answer wasn’t ‘hell yes,’ then it had to be ‘no,’” Bezos wrote, adding that a search for a new Opinion Editor is now underway.
I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning:
I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages.
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…
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 26, 2025
Bezos also expressed confidence that the new editorial focus would fill a gap in today’s media landscape. “Freedom—both in the economic realm and beyond—drives creativity, invention, and prosperity,” he wrote. “I’m excited for us to fill that void.”