Jeff Bezos announced a patriotic change in the opinion section for The Washington Post. The newspaper’s opinion section will soon include two new “pillars,” or principles, that will be written about daily. These pillars have been designated as “personal liberties” and “free markets.”
Ostensibly, any content that opposes these pillars will not be covered. Bezos said: “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 of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”
The full memo posted on X is below:
Bezos expressed enthusiasm for being American and the values that the country was founded on: “I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.”
Opinion Editor for the Post David Shipley was offered “the opportunity to lead this new chapter.” Bezos suggested to him that if his answer wasn’t a “hell yes,” then it had to be a “no.” Ultimately, Shipley refused the offer and resigned from his role at the Washington Post
The Washington Post’s definition of “personal liberties” and “free markets” is currently unknown. Many critics doubt the sincerity of this change, claiming it is an expedient move made after Donald Trump was elected to the U.S. Presidency in 2024.
Marty Baron, former executive editor for the Post, told CNN that Bezos is “cravenly yielding to a president who shows no respect for liberty.” On the other hand, Elon Musk applauded Bezos’s decision in response to a post about the topic from TPUSA Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk:
In his post, Kirk stated Bezos “believes these viewpoints are underserved in the current newspaper environment.” Kirk calls this a signal of culture change in America: “Good!” he wrote. “The culture is changing rapidly for the better.”
Bezos and the Post came under fire from the left for not endorsing a candidate during the 2024 Presidential Election. Moreover, the Washington Post owner was in attendance for the inauguration of President Trump, alongside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
