Thanks to all the people who joined my conversation with Merrill Brown, a media analyst and a former Washington Post reporter and business executive, among many other achievements, including the founding editor of MSNBC.com and currently a visiting fellow with Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship.
I talked with Merrill to get his insights on the consequences of owner Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest men, cutting a third of the paper’s staff, including at least 300 newsroom employees. Bezos could have sold off the paper to another owner or a collection of owners genuinely committed to journalism and its duty to inform the public and hold those in power accountable. Instead, Bezos has chosen to undermine the paper and kowtow to Donald Trump, ostensibly to secure his own financial interests beyond the Washington Post.
“There is fundamentally unlimited capital behind The Washington Post. That’s what’s so horrifying about it,” Merrill said. “If this were a private equity fund or a public company or in some fashion a place with limited resources—and their stock price or the valuation of the paper or the entire enterprise was in question and mattered—that would be one thing. But that’s certainly not the case here.”
We dig into the disturbing reality of this billionaire owner decimating and maybe killing a legendary paper. But we also discuss the rise of both independent media and other models emerging to sustain local news coverage, so necessary for the well-being of a community and the survival of our democracy. I hope you’ll give it a listen.
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