Hundreds of Washington Post employees sent a letter to Jeff Bezos on Tuesday evening, asking for a meeting with the Amazon founder amid broader concerns about the newspaper’s future.
The letter, which was signed by more than 400 employees, including many prominent reporters and editors, does not single out anyone for criticism. But he says the signatories largely relate to The Post’s leadership.
“We are deeply troubled by the recent leadership decisions that have led readers to question the integrity of this institution, break the tradition of transparency and prompt the departure of some of our respected colleagues,” the letter said. , with further departures to follow.”
A Washington Post spokesman declined to comment. A spokesman for Mr. Bezos, the owner of The Post, did not respond to a request for comment.
The letter, first reported by NPR, said the concerns were not related to Mr. Bezos’ recent decision to end endorsements of presidential candidates, which the signatories recognized as a “proprietary privilege.”
Instead, according to the letter, the concerns are “about maintaining our competitive edge, restoring lost trust and re-establishing relationships with leadership based on open communication.”
The company’s chief executive, Will Lewis, has been at the center of growing discontent at The Post for months. The newsroom’s top editor, Sally Busby, Descended in June when he decided to reorganize the newsroom. Mr. Lewis’s choice to replace him, Robert Winnett, Took it back After consideration of staff response. Following the decision, several members of The Post’s public opinion staff resigned from the editorial board. End presidential endorsements.and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Post leave it After a cartoon showed Mr. Bezos pointing at a statue of President-elect Donald J. Trump. The Post has also seen a significant loss in subscriptions.
Over the past several weeks, several reporters, including political reporters Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Michael Shearer left Or leaving for publications including The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal. Others left for The New York Times, including Tyler Pager, who is joining as a White House reporter, and Mattia Gould, a senior editor in the Times’ Washington bureau.
The letter ends with Mr. Bezos visiting the Post offices to meet with the newspaper’s staff. He made it A similar journey In 2023, amid widespread discontent with The Post’s former publisher Fred Ryan. Mr. Ryan stepped down later that year.