Jeff Bezos just taught American businessmen a 'lesson': Bulwark editor

[alwaysinasnit]

https://www.rawstory.com/jeff-bezos/

Billionaire CEO Jeff Bezos’ decision to scrap the Washington Posts’ 36-year tradition of endorsing a presidential candidate – which an editorial writer referred to as “signaling his submission” to Donald Trump – is a lesson for business leaders around the world seeing him “getting in line” with the former president.

While critics immediately pounced on the non-endorsement by the Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos and reported that he made the decision, The Bulwark's Jonathan Last wrote Friday that the development is more a story about business than it is about journalism.

“It’s a situation analogous to what we saw in Russia in the early 2000s: We are witnessing the surrender of the American business community to Donald Trump,” Last wrote.

He noted that following Trump’s 2016 victory, Bezos found himself on the receiving end of Trump’s threats due to the paper’s aggressive reporting of the former president’s administration.

snip...

[Marigold]

1. This is a great article

I was just about to post this myself. I highly recommend everyone read it. It makes so much sense, and shows how easy it is to fall under authoritarian rule.

[alwaysinasnit]

2. Yup. So much for "it can't happen here." It is already starting.

[cachukis]

3. The capillaries are expanding. Seeing design patterns.

[question everything]

4. I wish he gave his ex the Post. She is more level headed

[MadameButterfly]

5. Does Bezos really think Trump

isn't going to go after him anyway? Does he not have enough money already, so he has to bend in advance to a would be dictator? What's the point of being rich if you have to collaborate with Hitler and sell your soul?

[dalton99a]

6. Yep.

[hatrack]

7. Yes, Jeff, and all those Gazprom and Yukos executives who played ball with Putin . . .

They all lived happily ever after, didn't they? After all, they had lots of money and private security and private jets and private airports, so they were safe.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

8. New CEO and publisher of the Post is a Murdoch acolyte.

William Lewis named publisher and CEO of The Washington Post
The veteran media executive, previously the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, was tapped by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos to replace Fred Ryan, who stepped down in August.

William Lewis, a reporter-turned-executive who spent years working in British media and for Rupert Murdoch-owned companies, has been named the CEO and publisher of The Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/11/04/william-lewis-publisher-ceo-washington-post/#

Washington Post chief Will Lewis under pressure after refusing to endorse a presidential candidate
Publisher and chief executive defends call not to make presidential endorsement that some have called 'cowardly'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/11/04/william-lewis-publisher-ceo-washington-post/#

Thousands of readers say they will be cancelling their subscriptions to The Washington Post and are taking the newspaper's chief executive Will Lewis to task after he said on Friday that the venerated news organisation would not be endorsing either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.

In an announcement on the Post's online edition, where Mr Lewis wrote that the newspaper would be “returning to its roots” of not endorsing a candidate, more than 6,000 people commented in less than two hours, many with angry sentiments.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/11/04/william-lewis-publisher-ceo-washington-post/#

People are calling for Lewis to be fired.