Jeff Bezos tells Washington Post editors to hire more conservatives as 10% of readers cancel subscriptions

Jeff Bezos has instructed editors astatine nan Washington Post to prosecute much conservatives arsenic readers cancel their subscriptions successful droves, according to a source.

The New York Times reports that nan outlet's billionaire proprietor is willing successful boosting its correct helping readership among nan typically left-leaning paper.

Bezos has already appointed Will Lewis arsenic CEO, who formerly worked astatine nan Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal.

Last week, Lewis made nan announcement that nan Post has chosen not to endorse a governmental campaigner for nan 2024 election for nan first clip successful 36 years.

The determination was reportedly made astatine nan behest of Bezos, moreover aft an endorsement of Kamala Harris had already been by nan paper's editor David Shipley drafted pending approval.

It was met pinch a fierce backlash, including a resignation from apical columnist Robert Kagan and among nan 10 percent of readers who cancelled their subscriptions.

Lewis said that nan move marked nan Post going 'back to its roots' and was not intended to beryllium a tacit endorsement of either campaigner aliases a condemnation of nan other.

Bezos has since travel retired to refute suggestions he was down nan decision.

The Amazon proprietor insisted successful a lengthy op-ed that nan determination was not connected to his immense business interests, while claiming endorsements 'create a cognition of bias.'

Bezos based on nan newspaper's ending its long-standing believe of endorsing a campaigner is 1 based connected principles.

'Presidential endorsements do thing to extremity nan scales of an election. No undecided voters successful Pennsylvania are going to say, 'I'm going pinch Newspaper A's endorsement.' None,' Bezos wrote.

'What statesmanlike endorsements really do is create a cognition of bias. A cognition of non-independence. Ending them is simply a opinionated decision, and it's nan correct one.'

Whether opinionated aliases not, much than 200,000 group canceled their integer subscriptions for nan Washington Post by midday connected Monday.

Bezos - who purchased The Post for $250 cardinal successful 2013 - was besides astatine pains to constituent retired that 'no quid pro quo of immoderate benignant is astatine activity here.'

Such a proposal became easy to make aft Dave Limp, nan CEO of Blue Origin, Bezos rocket vessel company, met pinch Trump connected nan time of nan announcement.

To outsiders, it gave nan thought that immoderate benignant of woody was being made whereby nan Post would nary longer move to endorse Harris for president.

'Neither run nor campaigner was consulted aliases informed astatine immoderate level aliases successful immoderate measurement astir this decision. It was made wholly internally,' Bezos wrote.

'I sighed erstwhile I recovered out, because I knew it would supply ammunition to those who would for illustration to framework this arsenic thing different than a opinionated decision. 

'But nan truth is, I didn't cognize astir nan gathering beforehand.

'Even Limp didn't cognize astir it successful advance; nan gathering was scheduled quickly that morning. 

'There is nary relationship betwixt it and our determination connected statesmanlike endorsements, and immoderate proposal different is false.'