“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,” Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos said on X last Wednesday. “Today, the internet does that job.”
This was part of a larger announcement from Bezos stating that the publication’s opinion section would be reoriented to publishing articles in favor of “personal liberties and free markets.” Consequently, any viewpoints deemed to oppose those ideals “will be left to be published by others.” Following the announcement, the Post’s opinion editor, David Shipley, promptly resigned after reportedly attempting to convince Bezos to reverse his decision.
The Amazon founder has taken the paper in unpopular directions before. Prior to the U.S. presidential election, Bezos announced that the paper’s editorial board wouldn’t endorse either candidate — ostensibly in the name of restoring the paper’s neutrality — leading to 250,000 readers cancelling their subscriptions. The decision to dictate the viewpoints published in the Post to reflect those of the owner, especially so soon after this claim of objectivity, shows great hypocrisy. While these decisions may seem contradictory, they share a common motivation of serving Bezos’ special interests: staying in the good graces of the president-elect and pushing the kind of pro-tech libertarianism that directly benefits him and the other Silicon Valley moguls.
But Bezos’ actions raise a bigger question: What purpose should an opinion desk serve in today’s world?
The value of opinion writing comes from its ability to confront the reader, exposing them to arguments or analyses they may not have previously considered and forcing them to either revisit or substantiate their viewpoint. The opinion section is where public debate, new ideas and advocacy live. It’s a place for readers to reconsider their preconceived notions, understand different viewpoints and learn about issues beyond what news coverage may tell them.
Opinion sections of newspapers should be forums for public debate, where people can express and argue their beliefs passionately while still, of course, adhering to high standards of research and reasoning. Opinion journalism is uniquely positioned in its ability to highlight voices overlooked by mainstream media and politicians, representing the underrepresented and ignored. By keeping political arguments rooted in fact and personal experience, it bridges the divide between public discourse and reality. When newspaper owners and editors dictate what voices deserve to be heard instead of the merits of a good argument, the integrity of the paper is ruined.
While opinion journalism allows for passionate viewpoints, it must also adhere to ethical principles — primarily truth, verification and accountability. Bezos is not the only billionaire shaping the media in his image — Rupert Murdoch has spent decades shaping Fox News into a right-wing echochamber, while other media moguls have used their influence to shift coverage toward their own economic or political interests.
Debate, even at the highest levels of government and media, has become increasingly detached from factual accuracy, dismissing inconvenient truths as fake news and spreading misinformation. News channels have been reduced to ideological echo chambers instead of high-standard journalistic organizations with qualified speakers.
Dismissing facts and limiting the scope of perspectives is highly immoral and antithetical to the purpose of an opinion section — it is instead propaganda. Only when opinion journalism has the ability to be diverse and unflinching can it hold institutions, governments and mainstream media accountable.
A newspaper’s credibility depends on its willingness to challenge its own biases, not reinforce them. Opinion columns should be battlegrounds of ideas, and hubs of journalism should be beholden to the public, not the whims of its owner.
At WSN, we commit to holding ourselves to high standards of accountability, and we invite students of all viewpoints to contribute to our publication’s mission.
WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented in the Opinion section are solely the views of the writer.
Contact Mehr Kotval and Noah Zaldivar at [email protected].
