Bezos’s Washington Post Succumbs Once More in Trump’s Battle Against Mainstream Media | US News

In 1974, The Washington Post’s reporting led to the downfall of US President Richard M. Nixon. President Trump, however, can rest assured that such consequences are unlikely while billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, owns the newspaper.

Last week, the owner mandated that the breadth of opinions reflected in the newspaper’s commentary sections would be significantly curbed, focusing primarily on Trump-centric themes.

“We will write every day in support and defense of two core principles: personal liberties and free markets,” Bezos stated in a message to employees, which was also shared on social media. “While we will cover various subjects, contrasting viewpoints on these principles will be relegated to others.”

Bezos’s actions starkly contrast with his position in 2013 when he acquired the publication for $250 million and told reporters, as reported by Chris Cillizza, who was among them: “You all are the experts in journalism, not me. I’m not going to dictate how you do your jobs or what you should say.”

Back then, Bezos vowed that the newspaper would maintain “the courage to follow the story, no matter the cost.” He hired Marty Baron, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editor from The Boston Globe. Baron subsequently adopted “Democracy dies in darkness” as The Post’s slogan.

Now Baron is openly criticizing the owner he once supported.

“It’s cowardly. He seems to be fearful of Trump. He has concluded that even the cautious editorials are too harsh on Trump,” Baron cautioned. “We are now facing a situation where it’s not merely a matter of differing opinions, but an issue of differing facts.”

This upheaval is just one facet of how mainstream media in the US are being compelled to acquiesce to the new administration, compromising their dedication to objective and factual journalism, seemingly in conflict with the protections afforded by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The White House is overtly intimidating and penalizing media organizations that contest Trump. Other influential figures, like Bezos at The Post, are not being coerced; they are conforming willingly.