There was a bit of tittering and many raised eyebrows a few years ago when The Washington Post added what some thought was a melodramatic slogan under its front page masthead: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”
In the years since, however, those words have seemed perfectly attuned to our gloomy political times and The Post has been a leader in shedding light on the authoritarian impulses of the Trump administration.
Now, though, the uber-wealthy owner of The Post, Jeff Bezos, is the one switching off the lights at his newspaper. With the announcement that 300 Post staffers are being fired — the newspaper is being gutted. Sports writers — gone. Photographers — gone. International coverage — severely reduced. Local coverage — truncated.
This follows Bezos’ decision in 2024 to rescind the editorial page endorsement of Kamala Harris for president and to narrow the opinion section to emphasize more conservative and pro-business voices. In the process, The Post parted ways with its two editorial cartoonists, Ann Telnaes and Michael de Adder, both of whom just happen to be sharp critics of President Donald Trump.
The problem is not that Bezos has taken The Post editorial page in a more conservative-friendly direction; owners and publishers have always exercised that right. The problem is that he appears to be taking these steps to appease the president in order to protect his other properties from Trump’s vengeful instincts, particularly Blue Origin Enterprises, Bezos’ space technology company headquartered in Kent that relies heavily on government contracts.
There was a time when I thought one answer to the financial woes of the newspaper industry was to find enlightened billionaires with more interest in sustaining journalism than in making a profit. When Bezos first bought The Post, he seemed to be such a person. In Trump’s first term, the president’s frequent attacks on The Post appeared not to faze Bezos. From Inauguration Day of Trump’s second term, though, Bezos has lined up with other tech titans to kiss the president’s ring.
Bezos — much like Patrick Soon-Shiong, billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times — has shown that, even when you have all the money in the world, you always want more. And, if the newspaper you own stands in the way of endearing yourself to an anti-democratic authoritarian, it’s time to turn off the lights.
See more of David Horsey’s cartoons at: st.news/davidhorsey
View other syndicated cartoonists at: st.news/cartoons
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