Dear Mr. Bezos: These Columns Are All About Liberties and Markets!

Freedom Isn’t Free; It’s Also Not Simple

By Siva Vaidhyanathan

Not long ago, The Washington Post seemed to be asserting itself as one of the premier sources of bold and deep journalism in this troubling century. Legendary editor Marty Baron, encouraged by the support and funding of the owner, American oligarch Jeff Bezos, pushed his reporters and writers to expose the excesses of the first Trump administration and stare down the intimidation that Trump and his supporters tried to press on them.

All of that is over now. This week Bezos issued an order to the Post’s editorial page editor to limit opinions to those supporting something called “personal liberties” and something called “free markets.” He sent shocks through the journalism establishment. This was, after all, until recently, one of the most respected and influential producers of serious journalism, criticism, and commentary over the past 60 years of American history. In a matter of months, Bezos has dismantled the Post’s reputation and standing.

“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets,” Bezos explained to his staff, also alerting the reading public. “We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others. There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job.”