Bob Woodward Denounces Jeff Bezos For ‘Directly Compromising’ Trust in Washington Post

Veteran journalist Bob Woodward lashes out at Jeff Bezos in his soon-to-be published memoir, “Secrets: A Reporter’s Memoir,” claiming the billionaire has been a disappointment as the Washington Post owner.Simon & Schuster is set to release Mr. Woodward’s 592-page book on November 24, calling it an unprecedented inside look at some of the most newsworthy stories ever. The publisher says Mr. Woodward “lifts the lid” on his reporting relationships and discloses some of his secret sources.The book devotes an entire chapter to Mr. Bezos, a man Mr. Woodward says he has known and covered since 1997, when the online retailer Mr. Bezos founded, Amazon, was still trying to find profitability.Mr. Woodward wrote that he felt relief in 2013 when Mr. Bezos bought the money-losing newspaper. “I believed at the time that Bezos would provide the finances for The Post to continue to operate courageously,” Mr. Woodward wrote, the Washington Post reported after receiving a copy of the book ahead of publication. “Jeff delivered on his word, initially.”Mr. Woodward said that his opinion of Mr. Bezos changed in 2024 when the owner killed the publication’s planned endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. “It was the timing that looked especially bad, like Bezos and the newspaper were capitulating to Trump,” Mr. Woodward wrote. “But part of me believed he would quickly realize the mistake.”“I gave him the benefit of the doubt,” Mr. Bezos added.Mr. Bezos also pushed the liberal editorial section to become more conservative, leading to the exits of many opinion staffers. That, and large staff reductions at the paper, also upset Mr. Woodward.“As I saw it, Bezos was now directly compromising public trust in The Washington Post’s aggressive and independent journalism — a reputation and legacy reporters and editors had tirelessly forged with readers over a half century,” Mr. Woodward wrote in his memoir.The paper’s chief executive officer and publisher, Jeff D’Onofrio, released a statement in support of Mr. Bezos. “To be clear, Jeff remains unwavering in defense of our work, our independence and the safety of our journalists. He hasn’t and doesn’t meddle in our reporting (and knows no worthy editor would accept it if he did),” Mr. D’Onofrio stated.“Like other media companies at other moments, Jeff has pushed The Post to end years of losses and seek growth — but he’s explicit that the goal is to sustain the significant journalism that is our reason for being, and our newsroom is delivering,” the statement continued.Bob Woodward is an associate editor of the Post, where he has worked since 1971. He shares in two Pulitzer Prizes, including one with Carl Bernstein for his coverage of the Watergate scandal.Mr. Bezos is one of the wealthiest people alive. He purchased the Washington Post for $250 million in cash. The paper, like many legacy media outlets, has struggled in recent years with falling revenue. The paper has an annual loss of $100 million, Mediaite reported. Mr. Bezos had defended the changes as needed so the paper could thrive.

Bob Woodward Denounces Jeff Bezos For ‘Directly Compromising’ Trust in Washington Post

Bob Woodward Denounces Jeff Bezos For ‘Directly Compromising’ Trust in Washington Post

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