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Renowned political commentator and journalist Ruth Marcus has stepped down from her decades-long position at The Washington Post. The columnist recently resigned following her publisher’s decision to shut down her story on billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos. Marcus saw the publication’s move as support for Bezos’ latest decision to change The Post’s opinion section. In a message to staff, the former CEO of Amazon declared the editorial pages would be rebranded.
The new mandate noted the pages must be dedicated to “personal liberties and free markets.” However, moving in this direction did not sit right with Marcus. Despite Bezos being her boss, as he purchased the paper in 2013, she boldly called out his dangerous mandate. Her resignation letter, shared by Mediaite, featured jabs at the businessman and The Post for infringing on a writer’s freedom.
Ruth Marcus Fights for Columnists’ Freedom With Her Resignation
In her letter, Marcus slammed her publisher, Will Lewis, for not publishing her column on Bezos’ new mandate. She noted she “respectfully” addressed the businessman’s move, but the refusal to publish it proved her arguments about writer restrictions. Part of her message read:
“The traditional freedom of columnists to select the topics they wish to address and say what they think has been dangerously eroded.”
Marcus stressed she had never experienced such treatment in “almost two decades of column-writing.” She noted her love for The Post and her colleagues, whom she declared she would miss daily. “It breaks my heart to conclude that I must leave,” the columnist added while wishing her colleagues the best.
The Columnists Slams Jeff Bezos in Her Resignation Letter
As for Bezos, Marcus did not spare the businessman from her mighty pen and wrote extensively about his latest decision. She stressed that his mandate threatened to “break the trust” between writers and readers. Marcus claimed his policy stopped readers from believing “columnists are writing what they believe, not what the owner has deemed acceptable.”
The political commentator’s resignation comes weeks after editorial page editor David Shipley stepped down after Bezos’ announcement. Meanwhile, the business mogul’s mandate has reportedly caused a noticeable change in The Post’s opinion section. The paper’s columnists have maintained a critical tone about President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Whether this stemmed from their own actions or Bezos’ directive remains unclear.
Jeff Bezos Stepped Down as Amazon’s CEO
Bezos sparked drama nearly four years after he gave the Amazon CEO mantle to a new head. The succession occurred in July 2021, with the company’s former cloud services chief, Andy Jassy, taking up the responsibilities. Bezos stepped down to become the executive chair of Amazon’s board. The billionaire initially announced his decision in February, claiming he needed the energy to focus on other things.
The list included the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and more passions. “As executive chair, I will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives,” Bezos declared. Under his leadership, Amazon reportedly changed from a small e-retailer to a 1.7-trillion-dollar empire. However, the businessman faced several challenges, including a 2020 health and safety protest from workers.
Will more columnists like Ruth Marcus resign over Jeff Bezos’ new mandate?
