This article is part of our series covering current boycotts we recommend joining.
When Bezos purchased the Washington Post in 2013, he transformed the paper's web presence, leading to a surge in digital-only subscribers, which had crossed 1 million in 2017. But he largely left editorial decisions to executive editor Marty Baron.
That changed when Bezos killed the Post's endorsement of Kamala Harris weeks before the 2024 Election. This unprecedented decision led to over 300,000 people unsubscribing and several high profile resignations, including investigative reporter Josh Dawsey and opinion columnist Jennifer Rubin. (For more coverage on Bezos, see our "Boycott Amazon" article.)
Since Trump's 2024 Presidential victory, the Post has made several questionable (to downright unethical) decisions in an apparent effort to appease the President.
- In early January, the paper refused to publish an editorial cartoon that depicted Jeff Bezos and other tech oligarchs kneeling before a statue of Trump. In response, Ann Telnaes, the cartoon's creator, resigned. In an interview with NPR the the Pulitzer Prize-winner said, "I'm very used to being edited. I've never ever, since I've worked for thePost in 2008, been not allowed to comment on certain topics by having cartoons being killed. We have to have the freedom to say what we want to say. We are visual opinion makers."
- In late February, Bezos announced a new direction for the opinion section of the paper that would only publish essays supporting the pillars of "personal liberties" and "free markets". He also added that viewpoints opposing these "pillars" would no longer be published in the Post. This decision led to the exodus of 75,000 subscribers, and the section editor David Shipley immediately resigned in protest. The new section editor is Adam O'Neal, who a correspondent for The Economist who had previously written for rightward-leaning The Wall Street Journal editorial page. In an introductory video, O'Neal promised that under his tenure the opinion section would be “unapologetically patriotic” and rooted in "fundamental optimism" about the future of this country.
"...Bezos no longer wants to own an independent news organization. He wants a megaphone and a political tool that will benefit his own commercial interests. It’s appalling. And, if you care about the role of the press in America’s democracy, it’s tragic. —Margaret Sullivan
- In early March, opinion columnist Ruth Marcus resigned from the Post after publisher Will Lewis killed an essay she had written criticizing Bezos's new vision for the paper's opinion section.
- In September, founding editor and opinion columnist Karen Attiah was fired for posts she wrote on Bluesky after the murder of white supremacist Charlie Kirk. The posts, which you can read here, Attiah condemned Americans' love of violence and how often white men are absolved for their hateful and violent rhetoric. She condemned the rampant availability of guns in this country and the inability of political leaders to enact any gun control legislation. She also highlighted racist remarks Kirk had made.
I was the last remaining Black full-time opinion columnist at the Post, in one of the nation’s most diverse regions. Washington D.C. no longer has a paper that reflects the people it serves. What happened to me is part of a broader purge of Black voices from academia, business, government, and media — a historical pattern as dangerous as it is shameful — and tragic. — Karen Attiah
Although the Post still employs investigative reporters who break important stories about the Trump Administration, Bezos has corrupted the paper's ethics and integrity. We recommend boycotting this once esteemed paper until Bezos no longer owns it.
