jeff bezos AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, file
- According to the New York Times, Jeff Bezos is playing an increasingly active role in Post’s operations.
- The Amazon founder and former CEO paid an unusual visit to the newsroom earlier this year.
- Bezos has sought to make The Post an international force and encouraged digital experimentation.
According to the New York Times, former Amazon CEO and President Jeff Bezos is increasingly involved in the affairs of the Washington Post, the venerable newspaper he bought for $250 million a decade ago.
Bezos officials have kept a close eye on the budget for the past few years, but Bezos has taken a more active approach lately as the release met economic headwinds and internal disagreements.
As of early 2021, The Post had 3 million digital subscribers, fueled by the Trump administration’s rapid news cycles, and employed more than 1,000 people — up from around 580 employees before Bezos’ investment in the paper.
However, there are now 2.5 million digital subscriptions, and according to The Times, the paper has failed to increase that number.
The Times report said the Post is expected to lose $100 million this year, according to two people who spoke to the newspaper and had knowledge of the Post’s financial situation. Two other people also told the Times that the Post is likely to miss its ad revenue estimates for the year.
Patty Stonesifer, The Post’s interim managing director, told The Times that Bezos is thrilled with “every dollar that goes into the company.” And one person with knowledge of Bezos’ vision for The Post said that 2023 would be a “year of investment” for the paper.
“I’m very excited about what we can do here at the Washington Post in the coming decade,” Stonesifer said in a statement. “Jeff’s second decade as owner of The Post looks set to be even more exciting.”
When Bezos bought The Post in 2013, it marked the end of an era for the newspaper that had been run for generations by the Graham family, whose stewardship propelled the paper to monumental heights with its coverage of Watergate and the Pentagon Papers.
Bezos encouraged digital experimentation when he first bought the paper and wanted to make the Post an international powerhouse.
After Bezos’ initial purchase of The Post, his influence on the newsroom was less visible, according to two people speaking to The Times.
But when morale faltered, editor Sally Buzbee — whom Bezos had handpicked with her selection to succeed veteran editor Marty Baron — reached out to the Amazon founder to discuss the issue.
In January, Bezos made an unusual visit to the newsroom, attending a morning briefing and later meeting with several of the newspaper’s journalists. The journalists reportedly spoke to Bezos about some major newsroom issues with Fred Ryan — the paper’s editor — who announced in June that he would be stepping down from his post later in the summer.
Bezos continues to look ahead and try to put his stamp on the newspaper’s vision. He is considering an experimental project for the opinion section and an overhaul of the paper’s style section is expected later in the year, according to The Times.
Sally Quinn, a longtime journalist at the paper and widow of Post legend Ben Bradlee, told The Times that she was once again optimistic for the newsroom.
“There’s a sense of hope that we haven’t had in a long time,” she said.
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