Washington Post Faces Internal Controversies Linked to CEO, Former Editor

A series of recent controversies at The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) have reportedly harmed morale at the D.C.-based newspaper. 

The Details: The Post’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, abruptly resigned from her position on Sunday, June 2. By some accounts, however, Buzbee was forced out by the Post’s publisher and CEO, Will Lewis, following weeks of tension. On Wednesday, The New York Times (Lean Left bias) reported that Lewis advised Buzbee to not cover a story about his potential involvement in a U.K. phone hacking scandal. Then, on Thursday, an NPR (Lean Left bias) journalist wrote that Lewis had repeatedly offered him an exclusive interview if he agreed not to write about the phone hacking allegations. Lewis, who had planned a reorganization of the company, wrote to staffers that he “did not pressure” Buzbee “in any way.”

Key Quotes: On Monday, Lewis reportedly told Post staffers, “We are losing large amounts of money. Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff. Right. I can’t sugarcoat it anymore.”

How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) — tied to Rupert Murdoch, whose U.K. tabloid is implicated in the phone hacking scandal — highlighted Lewis’ quote about people “not reading” the Washington Post. Also, a columnist for the often-partisan New York Post Opinion (Right bias) blamed the Washington Post’s struggles on its purported “blatant political slant.” On the other hand, while a CNN Business (Lean Left bias) headline sensationally said “morale plummets” at the newspaper as “staffers express alarm,” The Washington Post reported that Lewis merely drew “more scrutiny.”