It doesn't appear there will be any changes to the Post's news division, which remains separate from its opinion division. Historically newspaper owners have often played a role in setting the agenda for a paper's opinion section, but Bezos taking this level of control is new, as far as I know.

Yeah, we know it's coming though. I guess it's a slippery slope argument, but I bet we can all agree this won't be the end of the shenanigans. God, I really really don't want to give up my Kindle Unlimited subscription but it's not looking good.

I guess I'm comforted by the news division being spared this interference. I don't think Bezos gets how much this sort of thing cheapens the opinion division and makes informed readers suspect and discount anything that might appear there.

The crazy part is not him taking this level of control, is him being so blatantly open about it. He's basically screaming "hey, you're gonna pay for my propaganda now" to the world.

So, just to be clear, this pathetic display of journalism was not influenced by Bezos? This is purely the newsroom being groveling losers?

You are going to LOVE this bridge I have here.

Soon-Shiong did it first, no?

"doesn't appear" buckle up

Will, I very much appreciate your journalism and your posts here. I'm so sorry this is happening to your newspaper. Not great for the most important free market, that is the "free market of ideas."

If you believe that I have a bridge to sell ya Will.

Just to be extra clear, I'm not speaking for the Post or anyone else here, just sharing my understanding as a rank-and-file staff member on the news side.

Just to be extra clear, anyone taking a check from Bezos is a propagandist.

That's a bit rough. In media these days, it's often a case taking the job you can get until a more palatable one comes up. It's not exactly an industry overflowing with great opportunities at the moment.

Understood. It’s a matter of the price point you put on integrity. WaPo has been spiking and soft-pedaling stories for a year. Their news side knows this.

Of course, but the thing is, that's easy to say. I'm a motoring journo & until I went freelance, I had to write about combustion cars when I personally want them gone. Now I'm freelance, it's easier to reject those stories, but it took 5 years to get there — from decision to the $ security to do it.

That is, I have kids and all the costs that come with. Having integrity sometimes means doing the best you can in the short term while working as unwaveringly as possible towards the noble goals.

Its Pavda.

Thanks for the share, Will. Good luck!

Good luck. From past history, you've got 6 months at best before you start to get "nudges" about your copy.

thanks. hope not. we’ll see.

“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets." Why? I’m a WaPo subscriber and I legit don’t understand this statement by Bezos at all.

Good for his bank balance. Simplest thing in the world.

Torr; * "personal liberties" = Bezos personal liberty to squash anything that doesn't support an increase in/protection of his power/income (aka payment to 34-felon) * "free markets" = Bezos freedom to increase the market share of all his power/income streams (aka payment to 34-felon)

really? it's only been the rich's mantra for 40 years...

I am a WaPo subscriber but won’t be as of Saturday. I was an Amazon customer but that ended the day Bezos killed the WaPo endorsement. Since then he paid a $40 million bribe to Trump through his illegal immigrant wife, now this. Laughing Trump is still screwing him in favor of Temu.

Good time to unsubscribe!

He's a billionaire. Billionaires typically don't like anything that challenges their views on wealth, taxation, capitalism, the economy, etc. Bezos isn't about free speech. Bezos is about this: "Your speech is free if it agrees with me."

FWiW, if the WaPo tech reporters pull a 404 Media maneuver and split to form their own newsletter, I'd pay to subscribe. Signed, a paying 404 Media subscriber who canceled his WaPo subscription a few months back.

What about the excellent, in-depth features, such as on the effects of climate change? And there was that brilliant article on home-schooling that might now seem too unfavourable to MAGAs

Didn’t the LA Times billionaire owner also insert this level of control?

Yup. Patrick Soon-Shiong another billionaire born in … drum roll … South Africa.

Congratulations to American Pravda and their clear vision to support Dear Leader! #FuckJeffBezos

"opinions are fine as long as they are in line with my views"

Thx for sharing. Because the WSJ doesn’t do those topics adequately? Sorry to read that WaPo intends to be second banana. Like w WSJ, I will continue to separate the journalists from the opinion writers, and read accordingly.

Jeffrey is such a staunch supporter of “personal liberties and “free markets” that he’s suppressing freedom of speech and the free press to prove his undying devotion.

The idea that no one is writing about "free markets" or "personal liberty" in this country is facially absurd

Rule number one. Do not obey in advance.

Jeff Bezos is muzzling the Washington Post's opinion section. That's a death knell 2025-02-28 www.pressreader.com/usa/the-guar...

📎 via The Gardian 2/26/25 kipcurriermanagementleadership.blogspot.com/2025/02/jeff...

Jeff Bezos is muzzling the Washington Post's opinion section. That's a death knell 2025-02-28 www.pressreader.com/australia/th...

As if anyone would ever trust the Washington Post ever again after literally betraying the entire human population of this planet. Bezos can choke to death on the irrelevance he created.

BOYCOTT Amazon and @washingtonpost.com Fuck this Trillionaire who just got richer by letting children and elderly die

I guess it WASN'T a mistake to cancel my longtime subscription after he squashed the Editorial Board's Presidential endorsement. Sad to see a journalistic mainstay like the Post go the way of legacy brands like Polaroid. Surviving in name only.

Fucking Bozo (No disrespect to Bozo the Clown)

These people are going to have to build bunkers to live in when it's all said and done.

Not to bury the lede, but it is odd that Bezos says he is “of America” rather than saying he is American. Almost like he is repulsed by the idea.

Freedom to write what i tell you to. Interesting use of the word "freedom".

First I had to pass on that new Tesla, now I gotta stop shopping on Amazon? Jeez, the sacrifices I have to make for this country.

I cancelled Prime, and since I still had some time on my subscription, I was going to make one last order, but got the mental image of Bezos and his fiance at the inauguration and decided I didn't need that item after all. Try it. It worked for me.

Please, join us. I stopped any amazon years ago. Ebay, ethicalsuperstore, small vendors are all great. Also now barely ever use fb, insta; loving it! Google not so much either. Can't believe they all stood their supporting Trump like that. Augh.

there

Democracy dies in billionaire hands.

Headline: Oligarch’s paper to support oligarchy

He seems to have forgotten the acronym "MAGA" before "personal liberties and free markets".

So, "Democracy Dies in Darkness" is officially dead. We all recognized it was on life support with the News Editor change and this has just killed it. Bezos doesn't care about subscriptions, democracy or ethics. He's got loads of $ but he also needs to keep up payments to the 34-felon president.

How about the personal liberty of choice?

Sad how far WaPo has fallen. It used to be a gold standard on political reporting. No more.

Billionaire Jeff Bozo didn’t just sink Wapo, he just incentivized resisters everywhere to permanently boycott his other companies like Amazon. I’m so looking forward to canceling Prime when my membership comes for renewal in May.

In the meantime I will continue NOT buying a fucking thing on Amazon. That’s hard for me as I have no beef with Amazon workers but I will not buy from a Nahtzi lover.

I'd like someone to get him on the record about "personal liberty" -- does that include reproductive rights? Trans rights?

Didn't he say when he bought-in that he was going to be hands-off on WaPo ops?

When he talks about free markets, I take it he's going to be completely against tariffs, right? (Wrong.)

Everyone should block the WaPo Bluesky account. Frankly, we should block anyone working for them as well. #BLOCKWAPO Merely bitching about them is not going to send a message. And anyone who hasn't unsubscribed to everything Bezos is doing it wrong.

I just canceled my subscription.

I have been very pleased with my free market choice to quit Amazon Prime.

Same.

TBH, it has improved my life. I buy less and spend less time scrolling through promoted trash that is destined for the landfill.

Fuck that fucker.

Yes, what’s missing from the discourse is advocacy for free markets

The United States of Belarus

Do those personal liberties include trans and LGBT rights?

Oh hell no, and they do not include rights of poor people either.

Which liberties of which persons, and markets free of what?

no, but it does include using slurs freely..

Yeah. It's the freedom of the message board bigot to spout hate and not get banned for it. Free speech as defined by 4chan - an alliance of fascists, school shooters, and pedophiles.

Don’t forget the freedom to lie. It’s an important one.

No and I'm sure a major factor behind this is the fact that they aren't hateful enough towards trans people

Or, you know, the bodily autonomy to have an abortion?

they see transitioning and abortion both as a threat to "parents' rights" and "fathers' rights" respectively

Last time I checked tariffs were not a free market idea, either. If Bezos is being honest, WaPo's OpEd pages will be a nearly non-stop challenge to Trump.

Oh dear

WE made this man by buying his used books to sold from his garage, we can just as easily take him down we just may not be able to read the truth about how it happened....so. Fuck off billionaires

He means my liberties and my markets, doesn't he?

Bezos should get out of the information business and focus on his core competence: being ashamed of his weird penis.

Make Dickshaming Great Again.

It's going to be awkward when Bezos realizes Trump is fundamentally opposed to both "personal liberties" and "free markets". Just kidding; words have no meaning any more.

I'm sure those personal liberties will include things like travelling for health care that one's own state has made illegal or wanting to be addressed in a respectful way. No? It's all about the freedom to copy and undercut business rivals? Cool, cool.

Personal liberties and freedom* *unless the Musk-Trump Administration doesn't like you. Trans people for instance, need not apply.

“Free markets” + “personal liberties” = “No government regulations” + “Freedom to discriminate & pillage.”

Wow, David Shipley was unwilling to commit to Jeff Bezos new MAGA mission for the WaPo editorial section. Even though he was willing to commit to, from 1993-2005, twelve years of marriage to Naomi Wolf. Yes, that Naomi Wolf. (as in "if your Naomi is Wolf, oof. Ooooooffffff.")

David Shipley demonstrates even a spineless toady has his limits.

I was going to ask whether we were supposed to like Shipley or not, because I haven't been paying close attention, but I thought there was already a round of unpleasant shakeups in the opinion section recently. (but maybe that was a different editorial management layer I'm thinking of?)

There was a point recently where Shipley defended Bezos decision not to endorse Harris in the election. I don't see that as likable, either. But stepping down means that despite having less spine than a squid, there's steps he won't defend. Or, per Natty below bsky.app/profile/natt...

@mgg.bsky.social what sayeth thou?

I will be patting myself on the back -- continuously -- for the foreseeable future and you all will find new and creative ways to tell me how awesome I am. Or find a new job.

So the only opinion matters is Bezos. He has destroyed the reputation of Washington Post. Shame on him.

Hey Bozo-

Very excited to see the upcoming Washington Post op-eds decrying monopolistic practices, calling for "too big" corporations to be broken up and supporting the individual liberties of trans people and other minorities. Oh.

🤮🤮🤮

Freedom, personal liberties, markets? What a complete and utter crock of shit. So, dear Jeff has never heard of the "market of ideas". Unbeliavable, but also revealing. Act accordingly.

The Post is dead. 💀

Please tell me you’re walking out today with the rest of WaPo staff in protest to Bezos’ public embrace of fascist ideology and his public support of terrorizing and intimidating those who don’t submit. Please, please tell that.

I saw a typo in Bezos’ comment, it should be ‘Heil, Yes’, not ‘Hell Yes’, correct? Gently, Will, you can’t work for a fascist and not be one. What do you think you’ll want to say about this time in your life in 25 years? Was your reporting true by the time it was published?

Who is his target audience for this publication?

Dude pressured the guy in charge of the newspaper into quitting instead of complying with this billionaire's ham fisted act to control the narrative for his own personal gain, manufacturing consent for the coming tech monarchy of which he plans to be a King.

So they're going to turn into another WSJ? They'll just be grouped together into the type of media owned by people like Murdoch.

Some want to think that Putin has control of the US political and economic elites. It's worse than that. These people have all bought into the Putinesque, fascistic ideology of an elite entirely above and not subject to the same laws as the masses.

Bezos is just announcing to normalize this fascist compliance for others to obey in advance. His newspaper has already been enabling this oligarchy since he bought it for that purpose. bsky.app/profile/will...

This sounds like a P.R. stunt to create the illusion that this billionaire is supportive of liberty. I don't think it's wise to trust anyone with that much money to inform the opinions of real Americans. The one-percenters aren't true citizens and are not subject to the same laws as the masses.

I’m sorry. There’s no ethical journalistic option now at the @washingtonpost.com except mass resignation. Step by step we slide toward. #Germany1933. #resist #AmericanFascism

Opinions have always been bullshit in all papers.

Quisling bootlicker.

Indeed, one never sees "free markets" and "personal liberties" blather in the media 🙄

Personal liberties* *for some people

Love the idea that free markets don't get enough hype in American media.

Democracy dies by dictates.

Great so less Alexandra Petri, Catherine Rampell and Dana Milbank who are good and more moronic takes from Marc Thiessen and Megan Mcardle types.

I love it. "free markets" are usually indicated by, checks notes, monopolies.

Jesus Christ I’m tired of tech bro hubris already.

core part of the 2028 platform needs to be taking a sledgehammer to every tech bro monopoly

And a sledgehammer to every tech bro

Why do you think I use Linux. If I could, I'd buy a Linux phone.

What 2028 platform ? Do you really think there Will be an élection again ?

ok, so we should cancel our subcriptions ? we should boycott the post ? what is the point of your comment if there is no action linked to it; IMO you are just whining

A big part of America's success has been forced labour, land theft and genocide.

Wow.

Personal liberties like freedom of choice, freedom to marry who you want, freedom to protest? Oh right, not those freedoms. 🙄

lol. Free markets. When 5 people own everything.

That’s more-or-less true of South Korea as well. But at least they have first-world infrastructure and universal healthcare.

Hm. Looks like there are only two things to have an opinion on and only on opinion on each of those.

I was hoping this was fake. The move from low-key American style oligarchy to full on Russian style oligarchy has been so fast and so infuriating.

Oh Great a Newspaper from one Billionaire for on Billionaire. Guess he can get his newspaper subscription for the next few million years, even if I cancel mine.

So basically just editorial then with no real opinion.

Canceled after the Harris endorsement was killed.

So did I.

Might as well run a different page from Atlas Shrugged each day

I guess Trump is currently just the unofficial Opinion Editor. I dropped my Post Subscription a while ago so I don't really give a Fk what Bezos says.

Freedom didn't seem to minimise coercion for David Shipley.

Hard to put into words how terrifying this is. How are all billionaires such truly horrendous people?

typical

Great! I believe in personal liberties and free markets so I cancelled Amazon and my monthly spending habit there. Done. And so glad.

+1

What a wildly insane and self serving definition of "freedom". End the plutocracy.

No one should buy, subscribe to, read, or work for what’s clearly become a blatant right-wing corporate megaphone at this point Anyone who does agrees with his agenda, pretty simple

No such thing as a good billionaire.

a 100% clinical psychopath

WRITE ABOUT FREEDOM OR ELSE MOTHERFUCKERS YOU ARE NOT FREE TO WRITE ABOUT OTHER TOPICS

Give everyone 0 guesses just whose “freedoms” are taking priority here…

THE FREEDOMS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES!

😂

Freedom is ethical and drives creativity. That's why I gave the current editor an ultimatum to publish propaganda or resign in the space of a paragraph break

"Our opinions page will no longer allow opinions"

Imagine if Watergate had happened now. 😂. Sadly what is happening now makes Watergate a walk in the park. Another sad day for democracy, who am I kidding USA is now a facist regime

My subscription ended last night. I won't be renewing it. Not sure where I will get my news & such. AP has been my most recent preferred choice.

So, how about you start a GoFundMe and get all the real journalists and editors left to QUIT and tell that asshole to you know what? I will pitch in till you guys find new jobs.

I’m so glad Jeffy boy has decided what is best for this country…

So, nazi shit then, ok

Cancel your subscriptions! If you really care about this country, you have to make some small sacrifices.

“I am here to announce that we will now publish all opinions, as long as they agree with my opinions.” - Jeff Bezos, presumably on the tombstone of the Washington Post

I'll give Bezos this much credit. He's waaay funnier than Elon Musk: "I'm confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion."

Oh geez, another uniformed, libertarian mouthpiece ... just want this country needs (eyeroll).

Cancelled my subscription when the f-er refused to allow the paper to endorse Harris. Won't be going back.

Same, and every single action Bezos has taken since that action has just reaffirmed that I made the correct choice.

Me as well

Whose "personal liberties," I wonder.

In Germany after 1933 this was called: Gleichschaltung or bringing into line.

Can't wait to see what David Pecker does with Opinions after he replaces Shipley.

All these billionaires bending over to please Trump is hilarious

i domt really think thats whats going on. I dont think you nees to convince a hyper-capitalist to be reactionary...

I liked him better when he was distracted by selling things on the internet and his new wife's boob jobs.

WSJ opinion page part II incoming

My decision to cancel my subscription has been validated yet again.

Oligarchs are not invulnerable.

Bezos: “I am of America and for America…”

This means full opposition to tariffs, right? Right? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

« We are promoting free speech by selecting which side we will be promiting »

RIP G Gordon Liddy, you would have loved what's happening at WaPo

Bezos the Clown: Circus for Me, Not Thee “Personal Liberties and Free Markets”, Means opinion must fill Bezos pockets. Free press is gone. It’s totally toast. Witness the death of The Washington Post.

Didn't renew my Amazon Prime when it came up this month. Barely a drop in the ocean of course, that rat makes all his money via AWS, but it's nice to cut myself off from Amazon officially.

Gross 🤮

Why did he email?He should have walked into the building and told this to their faces,another coward.

Jeff Bezo should get a blog and leave opinions writing to people who have opinions… even bad ones.

Personal liberty and free market as defined by one man muzzles any conversation about what those pillars mean in our time.

Can’t wait to read op-eds from the Washington Post arguing for the merits of market socialism, since that philosophy is all about “free markets” and “personal liberties”. /s

Cemented my opinion of what a selfish creep he is

This house does not support fascism.

Free markets are opposed to personal liberties.

Ah yes, the illusory "free markets" that have concentrated unprecedented wealth in the hands of so few individuals. It's us versus the billionaires.

Someone should point him to timothysnyder.org/on-freedom

Is Bezos offering an implicit critique of Musk dealing himself federal contracts as de facto head of state (while shutting out Bezos) & using power of govt to chill speech while he manipulates Twitter to suppress or spin it, or something worse

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the candidate he wouldn’t endorse on the opinion page was pro bodily autonomy and anti-tariff/bribery - so that can’t be it. Just say only people who support meeeeeee mwhahaha! It’s a hell of a lot more honest

“Personal liberties” like being trans? Gay? Liberal?

I definitely look forward to all the upcoming WaPo op-eds about people's personal liberties when it comes to abortion and trans rights!

bezos teabagging musk

Every self respecting, actual journalist needs walk out. This afternoon. Otherwise, you're a hack, and welcome to it.

Fascism!

Scary, dangerous, and staggeringly depressing.

Does Jeff imagine all the Trumpers are going to subscribe to MAGA Pravda? Does he think they read?

Freedom in economic realm in the US is so strong that once a president comes to power stating he is against diversity every corporation runs to comply with b/c they fear being punished for not doing so

Fuck off, Jeff.

"Free markets" are only free for rich people, for everyone else it means a life of servitude and regret.

Self righteous hypocrite. Boycott Amazon. Drive the stock price down. It will drive Bezos and Jassy crazy.

Democracy doesn't die in darkness when it is being murdered in broad daylight.

Does anyone want to tell him how Amazon's growth was not because of free markets?

Or Musk's Tesla and SpaceX?

The Post dies under Bezos

Nothing says freedom of speech, like billionaires owning every major media outlet and using them to ram trickle down economics down your throat.

"And by 'personal liberties' I mean my personal liberties, not yours."

I’m so glad I cancelled my subscription 11/6/24

Sounds like you're going pro-business.

“Minimises coersion” says the guy whose company had to issue the warning “you better be pissing in jugs since you’ll get no breaks but forget the jug in the van and you’ll be punished”

Sounds very maga

Soooo no longer... Opinion....pages....

Bezos tomorrow: May I introduce Washington Post opinion editor Bari Weiss.

ah so now tariffs == free markets, got it

We can expect whole years' worth of op-eds on "pronouns" and Bitcoin. WaPo is the new X.

FISH WRAP!

What the hell does this even mean?

Considering the source, I imagine it means “corporate America should never be regulated and I can do as I please; fuck everyone else.”

What an inflamed asshole Bezos is.

Will this affect @petridishes.bsky.social ? That would be very sad to see

"if I wanted your opinion I would give it to you" - bezos probably

Cancelling subscription right now!

bruh

So! In Washington, DC, no discussion of political issues?

A ray of sunshine in dark times. I expect to be re-upping my subscription to the Washington Post.

I've enjoyed reading the @washingtonpost.com @postopinions.bsky.social for over a decade. I've just canceled my subscription to WaPo because of Jeff Bezos's chipping away at its content's direction. Democracy isn't simply dying in darkness, it's happening in broad daylight.

This creep is among the worst. Delete Amazon and unsubscribe to @washingtonpost.com!

Well good thing I blocked them.

This is hardly a convincing argument and makes him look awful to his own subscribers

Classic case of someone who makes money coming to believe they are an oracle. He’s just become a cult leader

The wsj already exists

What he outlines is covered ably by rhe WSJ.

*the

Good for David Shipley.

This is a boon for idiots like Megan McArdle and nobody else.

Hewitt and Thiessen being dropped for being too woke.

"Own this new direction".... I ask you!

The “personal liberties” of the billionaires is going to be the death of us all.

It's state controlled media now.

Allow me to provide some translations: PERSONAL LIBERTIES: Tax evasion. Also, racism. FREE MARKETS: Tax evasion. Also, more tax evasion. I AM OF AMERICA: I don't like taxes. I RESPECT HIS DECISION: I hope he dies. UNDESERVED IN THE CURRENT MARKET OF IDEAS: You are all wrong. So are taxes. TAXES

Another libertarian op-ed page. Great.

I’m going to puke.

Mackenzie Scott should buy the NYTimes and have the opinion section be devoted to pieces about how Jeff Bezos should be taxed into oblivion.

‘Taxed’ isn’t the word I’d use

"Axed"

Respect to David Shipley.

I hope Mr Bezos, who is not a professional news editor, will reflect on why his experienced opinion page editor stepped away from the WP after the suggested change.

Actions taken: - Cancelled all Prime add-on channels such as HBO and Paramount+ - Downloaded all existing Kindle e-books and put Kindle in airplane mode - Cancelled Amazon Music subscription effective end of current term. - Cancelled Amazon Prime subscription effective end of current term.

- Discontinued online shopping at Amazon and Whole Foods. - Stopped visiting Washington Post website for news articles. Other suggestions? Bezos is not getting another penny from me if I can help it.

Freedom for me, not for thee. Bezos Post, by oligarchs, for oligarchs.