Ruth Marcus, a notoriously liberal opinion columnist and associate editor at The Washington Post, has now reportedly resigned following the decision by the paper’s publisher not to run her column criticizing Jeff Bezos’s changes to the editorial section.
Marcus’s resignation highlights her concerns about the diminishing editorial freedom for columnists at the newspaper.
In her resignation letter, Marcus expressed her disappointment over the decision, stating that she had not encountered such restrictions in nearly two decades of writing.
She emphasized her love for The Post and her admiration for her colleagues, noting that it broke her heart to leave.
Marcus’s resignation comes on the heels of editorial page editor David Shipley’s departure, which occurred after Bezos outlined a new direction for the opinion section.
In a memo, Bezos indicated that the editorial pages would focus on themes of personal liberties and free markets, a shift that was reportedly met with skepticism by Shipley.
Marcus directly criticized Bezos’s mandate in her letter, arguing that the directive to publish views that are not liberal could undermine the trust readers have in the opinions shared by columnists.
She warned that such changes threaten the integrity of the editorial process, suggesting that writers may not feel free to express their true beliefs.
Since Bezos’s announcement, the opinion section has maintained a critical stance toward figures like former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Marcus’s resignation reflects broader concerns about editorial independence and the influence of ownership on journalistic integrity within major media outlets.
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