Distinguished Washington Submit opinion author Jennifer Rubin introduced Monday that she’s leaving her place, citing proprietor Jeff Bezos’ capitulation to Donald Trump as a cause for her departure.
The information comes because the Submit’s inner experiences present declines in internet site visitors and income because the paper grew to become friendlier towards Trump previously yr.
“Corporate and billionaire owners of major media outlets have betrayed their audiences’ loyalty and sabotaged journalism’s sacred mission—defending, protecting, and advancing democracy,” Rubin stated in a press release. “The Washington Post’s billionaire owner and enlisted management are among the offenders. They have undercut the values central to The Post’s mission and that of all journalism: integrity, courage, and independence.”
Rubin’s departure comes only a few days after Pulitzer-prize profitable editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes additionally stop after the Submit’s editorial web page editor reportedly rejected a cartoon that depicted Bezos, together with different media executives, bowing to Trump and providing him money (Bezos has donated to Trump’s inaugural committee).
Moreover, three writers stop the Submit’s editorial board late final yr after Bezos pulled an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris within the presidential election. Greater than 250,000 individuals reportedly canceled their subscriptions in protest of the editorial determination.
Citing inner Washington Submit knowledge, Semafor reported that site visitors to the newspaper’s web site has collapsed over the past yr. The Submit reached its peak in January 2021 at 22.5 million lively customers, however that quantity cratered to round 2.5 to three million customers by mid-2024.
Equally, citing inner sources on the paper, The Wall Avenue Journal reported that the Submit took in $190 million in advert gross sales in 2023, however that dropped to $174 million in 2024.
Alongside along with his Trump donations and editorial choices, Bezos has publicly lavished reward on Trump since his election win.
“Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory,” Bezos wrote on X. “No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing [Trump] all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.”
However the latest backlash isn’t distinctive to the Submit. At MSNBC, rankings went down after the election, and hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to satisfy with Trump in an try and patch up their rocky relationship.
To date, the media’s cozying as much as Trump seems to be unhealthy for enterprise. Let’s see if that continues into his second time period.
