Washington Post newsroom in uproar over Jeff Bezos' 'tone-deaf' op-ed defending non-endorsement, staffer says

The Washington Post rank and record has not responded warmly to its proprietor Jeff Bezos' op-ed defending nan paper's determination not to make an endorsement successful nan 2024 statesmanlike race. 

"Terrible. Whole newsroom successful uproar complete it. Tone-deaf and ill-informed," 1 staffer reacted to Fox News Digital. 

The cardinal statement of nan op-ed was nan wide distrust Americans person successful nan bequest media. 

"We must beryllium accurate, and we must beryllium believed to beryllium accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing connected nan 2nd requirement," Bezos wrote connected Monday. "Most group judge nan media is biased. Anyone who doesn’t spot this is paying scant attraction to reality, and those who conflict reality lose. Reality is an undefeated champion. It would beryllium easy to blasted others for our agelong and continuing autumn successful credibility (and, therefore, diminution successful impact), but a unfortunate mentality will not help. Complaining is not a strategy. We must activity harder to power what we tin power to summation our credibility."

JEFF BEZOS ADDRESSES WASHINGTON POST ENDORSEMENT FIASCO, CITES DISTRUST IN MEDIA LED TO ‘PRINCIPLED DECISION’

A staffer told Fox News Digital that The Washington Post newsroom is successful uproar complete Jeff Bezos’ "tone-deaf" op-ed defending its determination not to endorse a statesmanlike campaigner successful nan 2024 race. ((Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

"It was facile and poorly argued," nan staffer reacted. "He says journalists person mislaid nan spot successful readers without mentioning nan changeless attacks connected america arsenic ‘fake news.’"

"For years, Post guidance has said nan problem pinch subscriptions was not connected nan contented broadside but connected nan business side, wherever The New York Times was eating our luncheon pinch worldly for illustration Wirecutter and Wordle. Now abruptly it's nan content?" they continued. "And nary 1 believes that this was a abrupt decision, and he wished that he'd made it sooner. Clearly, it has to do pinch his fearfulness of Trump's retribution, nary matter what he says. If not, this determination not to endorse would person been made overmuch earlier."

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The root insisted Bezos was "poorly advised" complete nan endorsement mandate, which they said is nan latest successful a "series of bad decisions this year," noting nan assignment of Will Lewis arsenic nan Post's CEO and publisher. 

"If he'd asked anyone who worked astatine nan Post, we would person said it's excessively precocious to do this now, 11 days earlier nan election, and you will beryllium deed pinch wide subscription cancelations," nan staffer said. "You're stuck because you didn't denote it earlier -- and you could denote a caller argumentation aft nan election. If asked, I would person predicted 50k nonaccomplishment -- which would person been a lot. But I would person been wrong. NPR says 200k+, others wrong opportunity 150k to 180k. No number is charismatic but it's beyond anyone's worst expectations."

Vice President Kamala Harris was group to gain The Washington Post's endorsement earlier Bezos quashed his paper's plan.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

NPR has reported that nan subscription losses person mounted to complete 250,000 cancelations since Friday aft nan "Democracy Dies successful Darkness" insubstantial announced it would nary longer make endorsements successful statesmanlike races aft it was group to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. 

"It’s a disaster, of course. I’ve ne'er seen thing for illustration it— not moreover close," Paul Farhi, The Washington Post's erstwhile media writer who near nan insubstantial successful 2023, told Fox News Digital successful guidance to nan subscription cancelations. 

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Another seasoned Postie who is nary longer pinch nan insubstantial called Bezos' op-ed "pretty disingenuous." 

"The Post had nary issues telling group successful Maryland to ballot for [Democratic Senate candidate] Angela Alsobrooks aliases group successful Virginia to ballot for [Democratic Congressional candidate] Eugene Vindman. Fundamentally, I deliberation it's emblematic of thing [former Post executive editor] Marty [Baron] has said and that The Times sewage at. He didn't walk capable clip astatine nan station to understand nan business, and truthful he fundamentally miscalculated really damaging it would beryllium to occurrence an executive editor successful an predetermination twelvemonth aliases to propulsion an endorsement 11 days earlier a statesmanlike election."

"He doesn't cognize what he doesn't cognize but nary 1 will show him that," they added. 

Washington Post proprietor Jeff Bezos cited nan increasing distrust successful nan bequest media led to his "principled decision" to extremity statesmanlike endorsements going forward. ( SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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The erstwhile staffer told Fox News Digital aft proceeding from ex-colleagues still successful nan Post newsroom, nan statement is that "it's ridiculous to opportunity this is simply a profoundly opinionated decision, fixed nan timing of it" and really it was handled "demonstrates a heavy nonaccomplishment to understand The Post and its role."

When asked what Bezos should do next, they replied, "If past is prologue, he won't do anything."

The Washington Post did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.

Fox News' David Rutz contributed to this report.