"Something I will be most proud of when I'm 90": How Jeff Bezos used to talk about The Washington Post, and what's changed

"On February 7, 2019, Jeff Bezos took to Medium to write about The National Enquirer's publication of his text messages. In a paragraph about halfway through the post, Bezos paused to reflect on his ownership of The Washington Post, which he had acquired in 2013. "My stewardship of The Post and my support of its mission, which will remain unswerving," he wrote, "is something I will be most proud of when I'm 90 and reviewing my life.""

"Almost exactly seven years later, on February 4, 2026, the Post undertook massive layoffs, cutting a reported 30% of jobs across the organization, including more than 300 from the newsroom. Bezos was silent, as he has been for months about the Post. He said nothing publicly when, in January, the FBI raided the home of a Post reporter. The last time I could find that he talked publicly about The Washington Post was in February 2025 when he announced that, moving forward, the paper's opinion section would focus on " two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.""

"I found that Bezos used to talk about The Washington Post with real curiosity, and the things he said were interesting and specific. On September 4, 2013, he had a meeting with the Post newsroom. In that meeting, Bezos "repeatedly said that the success of the Post depends on its ability to draw readers into a 'daily ritual habit' of reading across a collection of different topics - and paying for it. 'People will buy a package," Bezos said, 'they will not pay for a story.'""

Jeff Bezos reflected on his ownership of The Washington Post and said his stewardship and support of its mission would remain unswerving and a source of pride later in life. Seven years after that reflection, the Post cut a reported 30% of jobs, including over 300 newsroom positions. Bezos has been publicly silent about the paper during recent controversies, including an FBI raid on a reporter's home. Earlier statements emphasized building a daily reading habit and paid packages, and Bezos framed the paper's opinion section around personal liberties and free markets.

Read at Nieman Lab