By I. Hansana, Jadetimes News
Washington Post Faces Turmoil as Newly Appointed Editor Robert Winnett Declines Position
The Washington Post has announced that Robert Winnett, recently named as the new editor, has chosen not to accept the role and will remain in Britain. This decision has intensified the upheaval at the newspaper, where a recent reorganisation plan has encountered significant issues.
Will Lewis, the CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, informed the staff on Friday about Winnett’s withdrawal. He also mentioned that a recruitment firm would be engaged to immediately begin the search for a new editor.
The financially struggling Post had previously revealed that Winnett would assume responsibility for the core newsroom functions following the United States elections in November. Additionally, a “third newsroom” focused on generating revenue through innovative journalistic methods was to be established.
However, this reorganisation has faced challenges. Three weeks ago, then Executive Editor Sally Buzbee resigned instead of accepting a demotion to lead the revenue enhancement effort. Matt Murray, former Wall Street Journal editor, was appointed as her interim replacement and future head of the “third newsroom.”
Recent reports have cast doubt on the journalistic ethics of both Lewis and Winnett, stemming from their past work in England. They collaborated on a series of exposés about extravagant spending by British politicians, which were reportedly based on information purchased from a data company a practice not generally accepted in American journalism. The New York Times alleged that some of their stories might have relied on fraudulently obtained phone and business records.
These revelations led to significant unrest within the Post's newsroom. David Maraniss, a two time Pulitzer Prize winner and long time Post employee, voiced strong opposition, suggesting that the staff could not accept the new leadership. “The body is rejecting the transfusion,” Maraniss wrote on Facebook.
Lewis, who began his tenure at the Post this year under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, was tasked with addressing a severe decline in readership. Last year, the Post reported a loss of $77 million. In a recent memo, Bezos assured staff that the newspaper's journalistic standards and ethics would remain unchanged despite the financial pressures and necessary business adaptations.
In light of Winnett's decision, Lewis stated that the recruitment process for a new editor would commence shortly. The abrupt hiring of Winnett without an extensive search had already been a point of contention among the staff.