Embattled WaPo Publisher Met With Conservative Editor for Advice on Recruiting More Right-Wingers

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: MEDIAite

Mar 4th, 2025, 8:59 pm


Will Lewis, the publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, had “a curious off-the-record meeting” last month with the editor-in-chief of a conservative website, Oliver Darcy reported in Monday evening’s edition of his Status newsletter.

The Post has generated a slew of headlines over turmoil within its ranks over the past few months, many of which have been sparked by what is viewed as an ongoing effort to nudge the paper in a more right-leaning, MAGA-friendly direction.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced complaints last fall from Post staffers when he directed the paper to forgo an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Amazon founder was among the group of tech billionaires who had a literal front row seat at President Donald Trump’s inauguration. In late February, Bezos sent a staff-wide email announcing a “new direction” for the Post’s Opinion Section to be clearly “in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets,” a move that spurred Opinion Editor David Shipley to resign and several of the Post’s top journalists to issue sharp, public rebukes — even threatening to join Shipley in tendering their resignations.

According to Status, Lewis met with Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of the Free Beacon for coffee last month. “[T]he two discussed how Johnson might be able to help Lewis in recruiting more conservative journalists to The Post, I’m told,” wrote Darcy.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/embattled-wapo-publisher-met-with-conservative-editor-for-advice-on-recruiting-more-right-wingers/

[BoRaGard]

1. The Power of the Press - belongs to those who own presses (R)

The Post has betrayed itself,
is shitting its own bed.

Tragic sellout.

[Lonestarblue]

2. Lewis was hired because he is a Murdoch acolyte.

Bezos clearly wants the Post to be another Fox. Perhaps he’s aiming to unload it to the Murdoch clan.

[JohnSJ]

3. The free beacon is more than "conservative", it is an extremist right wing publication.

[AmericaUnderSiege]

4. Will someone please, just as an experiment, create a real journalistic publication?

I can't do it because I'm poor and easily bored.

[liberalgunwilltravel]

7. The Contrarian is a decent option

Jennifer Rubin and Norm Eisen are doing a decent job. Not for everybody, but it's a good start.

[AmericaUnderSiege]

11. Looks fun, but mostly like an Onion type thing.

I got ProPublica and some other stuff, but they do long, long investigations. Doesn't satisfy the urge for instant gratification.

[chia]

16. No, it's not that at all:

T

he Contrarian will be a central hub for unvarnished, unbowed, and uncompromising reported opinion and analysis that exists in opposition to the authoritarian threat. Our pre-election warnings that Donald Trump posed an unprecedented threat to our democracy were often treated as alarmist. However, the election of an openly authoritarian figure who traffics in conspiracies, lies, unconstitutional schemes and un-American notions, has moved the United States to an inflection point. The future of our democracy, and what Lincoln called “the last best hope of earth” hangs in the balance. And yet corporate and billionaire media and too many in the political establishment persist in downplaying the threat and seeking to accommodate Trump and his radical agenda. We refuse to follow the herd.

Unlike most corporate or billionaire media, The Contrarian will not offer Trump the benefit of the doubt. We will not normalize him. We will not engage in false equivalence. We will not excuse enablers in the media, government or business. We will not infantilize his supporters nor treat them as victims; we will confront them with the consequences of their presidential pick.

The urgency of the task before us cannot be overstated. We have already entered the era of oligarchy—rule by a narrow clique of powerful men (almost exclusively men). We have little doubt that billionaires will dominate the Trump regime, shape policy, engage in massive self-dealing, and seek to quash dissent and competition in government and the private sector. As believers in free markets subject to reasonable regulation and economic opportunity for all, we recognize this is a threat not only to our democracy but to our dynamic, vibrant economy that remains the envy of the world.

Although the task before us is deadly serious, we emphatically believe that joy, humor, and most of all community are essential to preserving a free people. We will offer all three. We also realize the danger of preaching to the choir and failing to reach outside our bubble. We will offer a platform that includes multi-generational, fresh voices from whatever venue or field who can contribute to our endeavor. We are building a community of passionate defenders of democracy who are fed up with equivocation, timidity, and resignation.

We could not be more excited to begin this journey. Our irreverence, candor and refusal to pull punches may offend establishment politicians, campaign insiders, and complicit media. We hope so. Throughout all our work, we pledge to live up to our credo: Not Owned by Anybody.

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/this-is-the-contrarian

[AmericaUnderSiege]

18. Sometimes I'm not very smart. Is that okay?

[Joinfortmill]

5. R.I.P. WaPo

[liberalgunwilltravel]

6. You want more right-wingers?

Visit any psyche ward.

[bronxiteforever]

8. Washington Post is now Regime Media n/t

[Farmer-Rick]

9. There are tons of far right wing

Journalist just waiting to be hired by WaPo. What a stupid man if he thinks there aren't enough idiots. Bezos will just have to infiltrate the basements of some middle class boomers.

What he really means is he can't find enough idiots to write imaginative propaganda and Nazi literature. There are plenty to hire but they have trouble reading and writing and mostly just type out on Heil Hitler or Sieg Heil over and over again. And most of them didn't graduate college and barely got through highschool because education is a leftist plot to make them think.

He could always just hire TYT, they seem to have made a very hard right wing turn.....and I think they can read and write.....maybe? Cenk just appeared with con man fake Doctor Phil on YouTube singing the praises of pedo Trump's free flow, 4 hour? ramblings of idiocy.

But if any of that is a problem for poor fascist Bezos and his hand picked Nazis, he could always just bring in Russian writers on H-1B Visas. Why hire Americans when you can bring in more Putin lovers?

[NJCher]

13. In addition to these

Excellent suggestions, he could throw in a lap dance with Lauren Sanchez, complete with fish lips and a black lace dress.

Will be wild!

[Hotler]

10. If you're selfish, hateful and cruel, we want you. nt

[BrianTheEVGuy]

12. Don't read it, don't share links to it. Let it die the death it deserves NT

[Kid Berwyn]

14. Print the truth, idiots.

Everyone will want to read you, then.

[Blue Full Moon]

15. Majority of them don't read or can't read.

[Deminpenn]

17. Why doesn't Bezos just buy the Wash Times

or the Free Beacon? I'm sure they'd be happy to have his money and gladly parrot whatever rw talking points he desires. Of course neither of have the prestige if the WaPo.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. The moonies still own the Washington Times

and apparently Moon's wife has been running it since Sun Myung died.

[BigDemVoter]

19. Just one more reason

I am happy to have canceled my subscription to this sh*t rag.,,,

[milestogo]

21. They should be worried about finding readers, not writers.