Washington Post columnist resigns after publisher blocks Bezos critique

By Fatma Zehra Solmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ruth Marcus, a columnist and editor for The Washington Post’s opinion section, announced she was leaving the newspaper after publisher Will Lewis blocked her column criticizing the editorial pages’ new direction.

In an email Monday to colleagues, Marcus expressed “immense sadness” for resigning, which New York Times reporter Ben Mullin shared on X.

“I am taking this step, after more than 40 years at The Post, following Will’s decision to spike a column that I wrote expressing concern about the newly announced direction for the section and declined to discuss the decision with me,” she wrote. “Will’s decision not to run the column that I wrote respectfully dissenting from Jeff’s edict —something that I have not experienced in almost two decades of column-writing — underscores that the traditional freedom of columnists to select the topics they wish to address and say what they think has been dangerously eroded.”

Marcus added that the changes by Jeff Bezos to the publication’s opinion section “threaten to break the trust of readers that columnists are writing what they believe, not what the owner has deemed acceptable.”

More than 75,000 digital subscribers canceled their subscriptions within 48 hours after Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, announced plans to reshape the paper’s editorial direction last month, which included a ban on opposing views.

Opinions Editor David Shipley resigned after failing to change his decision.

Marcus’ resignation follows reports of a major newsroom restructuring at Post, aimed at broadening coverage and reaching a wider audience, as stated in a memo from Executive Editor Matt Murray.

“We’re grateful for Ruth’s significant contributions to The Washington Post over the past 40 years,” Olivia Petersen, spokeswoman for the newspaper, said in a statement. “We respect her decision to leave and wish her the best.”

According to Axios, The Washington Post is restructuring its national desk into two sections: one for national reporting and another for politics and government, which will also oversee economic policy coverage.

Also, a new department will integrate business, technology, health, science and climate reporting. The New York Times, meanwhile, reports that its executive editor is prioritizing digital expansion by appointing senior editors for audience growth and visuals.