Washington Submit CEO and writer Will Lewis has reportedly gone right into a “state of hiding” as fury throughout the newsroom grows over the large overhaul by the paper’s proprietor, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Lewis, who took the reins of the Beltway broadsheet in 2023, has been noticeably absent since final June, a number of Washington Submit staffers informed The New Yorker in a prolonged characteristic printed on Monday.
Staffers — already pissed off by an exodus sparked by Bezos’ determination to kill an endorsement of Kamala Harris shortly earlier than the election — additionally informed the outlet that they’d considerations concerning the British-born Lewis’ consuming.
“One thing that has damaged him internally is that his drinking is widely known in the newsroom,” a former senior editor claimed. “It’s literally something his employees joke about.”
The absence of Lewis — who beforehand served as CEO of the Wall Avenue Journal — has fractured his relationship with government editor Matt Murray, whom he appointed to the job earlier this 12 months, the report mentioned.
A part of the discord was associated to how the newspaper lined his personal unstable tenure on the paper, The New Yorker mentioned. The publication has since largely stopped protecting itself.
“I know Will [Lewis] was very upset with Matt [Murray] for the (Washington) Post’s coverage and for some period of time wouldn‘t talk to Matt,” the previous senior editor informed The New Yorker.
Final week, Lewis skipped celebrating the paper’s a number of Pulitzer Prize wins at its DC newsroom, which was led by Murray, in accordance with The New Yorker.
Lewis’ absence was attributed by Murray to a long-planned journey.
the outlet’s change in course. GC Photos
A rep for the Washington Submit denied that Lewis and Murray had a falling out.
When requested about Lewis’ absence, the spokesperson informed The Submit that the exec respects the road of the newsroom however usually attends information and opinion conferences.
The rep didn’t handle Lewis’ alleged consuming.
Late final 12 months, Lewis had raised eyebrows when he ditched the paper’s annual Eugene Meyer Awards. As an alternative, he hosted a non-public dinner for award recipients in January — although he skipped the cocktail hour, the New Yorker reported.
On the dinner, Lewis praised the the paper’s current accomplishments whilst he laid off practically 100 people who month.
Don Graham, the 80-year-old son of former Submit writer and icon Katharine Graham, spoke out through the non-public dinner in an uncommon unscripted second. After outlining the Meyer Awards’ historical past, Graham mentioned morale was low on the paper. Lewis reportedly saved his gaze mounted on his place setting.
“It was such a wild moment,” an attendee informed the journal.
In March, Lewis, Bezos and Murray had been MIA on the the premiere of “Becoming Katharine Graham” on the Kennedy Heart in Washington, DC.
One other one that spoke to The New Yorker mentioned that morale has continued to be low and added that Lewis and his high deputies communicate of the newsroom with “vitriol.”
They had been consistently infantilizing them and consistently speaking about how they wanted to be disciplined,” the individual mentioned.
A spokesperson for the newspaper denied the declare and mentioned Lewis has “tremendous” respect and appreciation for his colleagues.
Lewis has confronted backlash from staffers over Bezos’ edict to maneuver the paper’s left-leaning protection extra to the middle, together with a transfer to rent extra right-leaning voices. Bezos additionally drew scorn after saying the opinions part could be dedicated to advocating for “personal liberties” and “free markets.”
The adjustments have sparked defections from a slew of editors, reporters and columnists. David Shipley, the newspaper’s opinion editor, resigned and greater than 75,000 readers canceled their subscriptions in protest.
In January, greater than 400 Washington Submit journalists despatched an indignant letter to Bezos, pleading with him to intervene on the paper’s course to revive the “trust that has been lost.”
