Radio Atlantic How Jeff Bezos Broke The Washington Post
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Feb 5, 2026 Joshua Benton, founder of the Nieman Journalism Lab and longtime reporter, explains how leadership choices at The Washington Post shaped its decline. He discusses Bezos's ownership decisions, shifts in opinion pages and subscriber backlash. Conversation covers newsroom cuts, market pressures in digital news, and the narrow set of futures left for a once-dominant national paper.
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Thirty-Minute Zoom Announced Massive Cuts
- In a single 30-minute Zoom call, Matt Murray announced cuts eliminating many departments and suspending shows.
- The Post closed sports, books, shrank Metro and international desks, and cut one-third of staff.
Owner's Vision Drove The Post's Turn
- The Washington Post's decline is driven largely by Jeff Bezos's changing vision as owner.
- Joshua Benton argues Bezos shifted from steward to someone making choices that retrenched the paper editorially and financially.
Editorial Decisions Cost Subscribers
- Bezos's 2024 editorial moves (no presidential endorsement, opinion shift) cost the Post subscribers and trust.
- Those decisions removed roughly 250,000 subscribers and realigned the paper's perceived politics.