Prestigious Washington Post is in trouble, there is pressure from the owner Jeff Bezos The Post's managing editor abruptly resigned in a bid to reverse its loss-making ways; a handpicked successor stepped down amid criticism, and a boss was targeted in a newspaper column.
At the center of this storm is the new CEO of “WaPo”, a British William LewisLewis was given a mission by Amazon founder Bezos when he was appointed last autumn. Lewis was asked to turn around a newspaper that continues to win Pulitzer Prizes even half a century after the Watergate scandal. Scandal It has, however, been hit with a $77 million loss by 2023, despite job cuts and the disappearance of its Sunday supplement. However, the former journalist, who made history in the 2000s by publishing a story on British MPs’ expenses as editor of the Daily Telegraph, is finding his position increasingly vulnerable.
Over the past few weeks, revelations have emerged about his role in the scandal of illegal phone tapping by the tabloid The News of the World, when he was working for the Murdoch family's conservative media group nearly 12 years ago. On Friday, Lewis was at the centre of a scandal. Investigation According to the Washington Post, he allowed thousands of emails to be destroyed in 2011, raising suspicions that he was destroying evidence, which he has denied.
Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University, says that as the U.S. presidential election approaches, the case is poisoning the atmosphere at a long-storied newspaper that “is not doing well financially.”
The Post was one of the trusted news outlets that benefited from the turmoil of Trump's four-year tenure in the White House, which ended with his defeat to President Joe Biden. Trump's departure from the White House meant fewer attention-grabbing stories to keep readers engaged. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Post will have 2.5 million subscribers by the end of 2022, compared to 3 million subscribers when Biden took office in early 2021.
Meanwhile, rival newspaper The New York Times has grown to a subscriber base of more than 10 million, the result of a strategy of delivering hard news while also emphasizing entertaining topics such as sports, food and lifestyle.
Professor Kennedy believes Lewis has no choice but to leave the post, as he has lost the confidence of the team there.
At the center of this storm is the new CEO of “WaPo”, a British William LewisLewis was given a mission by Amazon founder Bezos when he was appointed last autumn. Lewis was asked to turn around a newspaper that continues to win Pulitzer Prizes even half a century after the Watergate scandal. Scandal It has, however, been hit with a $77 million loss by 2023, despite job cuts and the disappearance of its Sunday supplement. However, the former journalist, who made history in the 2000s by publishing a story on British MPs’ expenses as editor of the Daily Telegraph, is finding his position increasingly vulnerable.
Over the past few weeks, revelations have emerged about his role in the scandal of illegal phone tapping by the tabloid The News of the World, when he was working for the Murdoch family's conservative media group nearly 12 years ago. On Friday, Lewis was at the centre of a scandal. Investigation According to the Washington Post, he allowed thousands of emails to be destroyed in 2011, raising suspicions that he was destroying evidence, which he has denied.
Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University, says that as the U.S. presidential election approaches, the case is poisoning the atmosphere at a long-storied newspaper that “is not doing well financially.”
The Post was one of the trusted news outlets that benefited from the turmoil of Trump's four-year tenure in the White House, which ended with his defeat to President Joe Biden. Trump's departure from the White House meant fewer attention-grabbing stories to keep readers engaged. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Post will have 2.5 million subscribers by the end of 2022, compared to 3 million subscribers when Biden took office in early 2021.
Meanwhile, rival newspaper The New York Times has grown to a subscriber base of more than 10 million, the result of a strategy of delivering hard news while also emphasizing entertaining topics such as sports, food and lifestyle.
Professor Kennedy believes Lewis has no choice but to leave the post, as he has lost the confidence of the team there.