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Posted on 02/09/2026 2:42:08 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Today on TAP: What will it take to preserve a great newspaper in the nation’s capital, and to sustain independent daily journalism generally?
The Washington Post, one of America’s three national newspapers, has just laid off some 30 percent of its staff, following two previous rounds of layoffs and buyouts. The stripped-down Post will have a staff of under 600, compared to 2,800 people at The New York Times. The firings are on orders of the Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest men.
The Post lost about $77 million in 2023, another $100 million in 2024, and even more last year. For Bezos, that’s petty cash. But having purchased one of American journalism’s crown jewels for $250 million in 2013, Bezos has decided to trash it rather than strengthen it, killing its independent editorial page and then cutting back the newsroom.
There are several superb extended articles, in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and in our friend Matt Stoller’s Substack, explaining in detail why Bezos did what he did. We don’t need to rehash the details here. Bottom line: The Post turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, given Bezos’s other business interests with Trump.
It’s axiomatic that a strong and independent press is a pillar of democracy. Freedom of the press requires a press. So what is the remedy?
For decades, America’s three great national papers were sheltered by families with an ethical sense of the larger place of journalism in a democracy. The Grahams cherished the mission of the Post; the Sulzberger family kept faith with the Times. Even at The Wall Street Journal, the Bancroft family maintained the integrity of the news department.
Then in 2007, the Bancrofts sold the Journal to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. Long before Murdoch bought it, the...
(Excerpt) Read more at prospect.org ...
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You could try being objective journalists instead of partisan political activists.
Just a thought.
This is the tone of the article. Bezos sold out the Post to cozy up to Trump. The Sulzberger family valiantly defends the integrity or journalism.
Bezos never both the Post with his own money. He bought it with the money the CIA gave him for cloud services. He was just a front for the CIA.
Just “reporting the news honestly” is apparently a concept which is unimaginable to a modern journalist educated in the American university system.
What will it take to preserve a great newspaper in the nation’s capital, and to sustain independent daily journalism generally?
The new media consists of swarms of lesser lights, and independent, citizen reporters, interviewers, and commentators, all sorted by their ability to attract followers, and hence money.
The emerging media is openly partisan and fractured into many parts, similar to the way media existed when the nation was formed.
The Grahams were anti-capitalist. They would not sell the Post to the highest bidder. They insisted on vetting the buyer, to make sure the new owner would follow their ideology.
Bezos passed the test, but could not bear the financial burden of the exposure of rank bias in Washington Post coverage.
“What will it take to preserve a great newspaper in the nation’s capital...”
Do you know of one?
“Objective journalism” was always a myth.
Even if a particular story is accurate in all particulars—with no editorial content or bias—the choice of stories to cover and ignore requires a decision on what to emphasize and what to minimize.
In addition the choice of which experts to interview and which to ignore reflects the values of the reporters and/or editor and/or publisher.
In the 1700s and 1800s newspapers were open about their bias—stated which political party they supported—so readers knew exactly what they were getting.
That is much more realistic than trying to fake “objective” journalism.
WaPo is only “great” to the demoncRATS & RINOs. That’s the way its been since the beginning. Don’t feel sorry that it’s going down the drain. WaPo & NY Slimes are totally and completely in the demoncRATs bailiwick.
Please include a barf alert next time.
Agreed. I believe the impartiality myth began during FDR’s administration. It’s like the devil’s greatest trick is to get you to believe he doesn’t exist.
“independent daily journalism.”
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
Couldn’t like 10 white guys, using AI, produce a WP level newspaper on a daily basis?
In my college years I wrote for the local weekly newspaper.
I had a column for my personal views and I also interviewed local figures for the newspaper.
In those interviews I tried to be as objective as I could—but obviously my values determined what I thought was important and what should be ignored. They also determined when follow up was required and when the answer was acceptable as given.
Even with good faith true objective journalism is totally impossible.
They chose "journalism" to "change the world," don't you know?
Today on TAP: What will it take to preserve a great newspaper in the nation’s capital, and to sustain independent daily journalism generally?
I’ll take Unbiased Reporting, for $100, Alex.
One of these:
1. Expand and promote the Washington Times
2. Bring the Washington Examiner back into print
3. Revive the Washington Star
You want to make the Post great? Give it real competition.
In New York, the Times is liberal and the Post is conservative.
You mean the Star or the News?
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