--- title: "Jeff Bezos Announces That Washington Post Opinions Will Now Exclusively Celebrate the Glories of Capitalism" description: "The Washington Post's billionaire owner has decided that the paper will no longer tolerate opinions he disagrees with." date: "2025-02-26" modified: "2025-02-26" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/bezos-washington-post-capitalism" categories: - "Future Society" - "Jeff Bezos" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "capitalism" - "jeff bezos" - "journalism" - "Media" --- # Jeff Bezos Announces That Washington Post Opinions Will Now Exclusively Celebrate the Glories of Capitalism ![The Washington Post's billionaire owner has decided that the paper will no longer tolerate opinions he disagrees with.]() *\Image: Michael M. Santiago via Getty / Futurism\* The free market just got a little more so today, thanks to the benevolent decree of one of the richest men who's ever lived. Seriously though, an [email]() from *Washington Post* owner Jeff Bezos to the newspaper's staff is now saying the quiet part out loud: the newspaper will no longer tolerate opinions its billionaire backer disproves of. "I'm writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages," the email begins. "We are going to be writing every day in support of defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets." "We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others," Bezos continues. "There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job.” The brave new pillars come in the aftermath of a 10 percent drop in subscribers from Bezos' decision not to let the paper [endorse a presidential candidate](), which was widely decried as an egregious example of a media boss steering its coverage for his own personal benefit. To say this latest announcement went over poorly might be an understatement. As a result of Bezos' mandate of freedom, *WaPo*'s opinion editor, David Shipley, [announced his resignation](). A number of the paper's current and former employees [have condemned]() the decision, with former executive editor Marty Baron [telling the *Daily Beast*]() he was "sad and disgusted" at Bezos' decision to put his business interests over those of independent journalism. "Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into *The Washington Post*'s opinion section today," wrote the *Post's* lead economics journalist [Jeff Stein](). "\[It\] makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there.” Despite harsh backlash, *WaPo* has long been eyed by media critics for its [blatant conflicts of interests]() tied to the billionaire's involvement, though that criticism has sometimes been overshadowed by the newspaper's lipservice to [vaguely progressive ideals](). If there's one thing to praise the tech mogul for, its that he's finally putting his cards on the table. "I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America," wrote the [3rd richest man]() in the world. "I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion." Credit where it's due: it takes a lot of gall to make that claim as a man whose net worth eclipses that of [most nations](), enjoying a [personal utopia]() in a country where billionaires own [more than half the population]() combined. While Bezos' executive order may seem like a right turn for a staple of mainstream media, it might be better understood as a "mask off" moment, a rare but honest peek [behind the curtain](). When we look at his moves in context with his [fellow captains of industry](), it's not so surprising. Fellow travler Elon Musk, for example, made a massive play to secure his own [media empire]() by purchasing X-formerly-Twitter, a platform he can now [bend as he likes]() to shape the political landscape, with no need to fake impartiality. Mark Zuckerberg likewise helms a massive [social media conglomerate]() in Meta, which he [routinely uses]() to flout democracy for his own gain. In reality, the [great majority]() of news outlets in western society are owned by for-profit corporations and [billionaires](). Far from underserved, Bezos' "free market pillar" is the *dominant* viewpoint in our media and our lives. At least they're finally owning up to it. **More on media:**[ *Allstate Is Demanding We Delete These Quotes by Its Exec About How It's Using AI to Write Insurance Emails*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()