Washington Post Opinion Editor Out As Jeff Bezos Says Editorials Will Focus On “Personal Liberties And Free Markets”

Jeff Bezos is exerting more influence over the content of The Washington Post opinion pages, as he announced that the editorials will now focus on “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 in a memo to staffers this morning.

Bezos also wrote that David Shipley, the opinion editor, is leaving the publication.

Bezos wrote, “I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t ‘hell yes,’ then it had to be ‘no.’ After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won’t be easy, and it will require 100% commitment — I respect his decision. We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction.”

More to come.