Leftists lose their minds after Jeff Bezos announces new direction for WaPo opinion in favor of freedom

Billionaire entrepreneur Jeff Bezos announced a new freedom-focused direction for the Washington Post, and many on the left are melting down as a result.

Bezos, who founded Amazon, purchased the Post in 2013 and said at the time that its values would not change because the outlet had a "critical role" in Washington, D.C.

'I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America.'

The billionaire publicly released the letter he sent to staffers.

"We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others," he wrote in part.

"I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity," he added.

Bezos went on to say David Shipley, the editorial page editor, had decided to resign rather than lead the new direction.

"I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t 'hell yes,' then it had to be 'no.' After careful consideration, David decided to step away," he wrote.

Critics saw the decision as a way for the billionaire to appease President Donald Trump at a time when his massive company is facing an antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

“I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America,” Bezos concluded. “I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.”

The Post's chief economic reporter Jeff Stein called the move a "massive encroachment" into the opinion section but said there had been no such involvement on the news side.

“I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know,” Stein said on social media.

Former editor Marty Baron professed to be "sad and disgusted" by the change, while others reacted with expletives.

Post columnist Philip Bump wrote: "what the actual f***," on his Bluesky account.

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