Washington Post columnist resigns after piece critical of Bezos scrapped

• Ruth Marcus, a political columnist and associate editor at The Washington Post for four decades, resigned after the paper reportedly refused to publish her critical opinion piece about owner Jeff Bezos. Marcus later said in a resignation letter that, “It breaks my heart to conclude that I must leave.”
• Bezos’s new policy restricts the opinion section to only topics of “personal liberties and the free market.”
• The Post has struggled with staff departures and subscriber losses over editorial shifts.

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A political columnist and associate editor who worked at The Washington Post for four decades resigned following the paper’s decision to reportedly not run her opinion article criticizing owner Jeff Bezos’s latest changes to the news outlet. In a resignation letter from Ruth Marcus, obtained by The New York Times, she stated, “It breaks my heart to conclude that I must leave.”

Marcus added that her decision, “underscores that the traditional freedom of columnists to select the topics they wish to address and say what they think has been dangerously eroded.”

While it’s not clear exactly what Marcus wrote in the opinion piece, she said The Post’s publisher, Will Lewis, declined to run the column, adding that it was her first rejection in nearly 20 years of writing columns.

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What editorial changes has Bezos made?

Last month, Bezos announced that The Post would narrow the topics covered by its opinion section to “personal liberties and the free market,” and issued a directive that the paper would not print opposing views.

More than 75,000 digital subscribers canceled in the 48 hours after the policy change, which also saw the resignation of opinions editor David Shipley.

What’s the reaction to Marcus’s resignation?

New York Times columnist David French posted to X following the news of Marcus leaving.

“I frequently disagree with Ruth Marcus, but I’ve never questioned her integrity,” French said. “This is a sad day for Post. I have profound respect for her decision to resign.”

I frequently disagree with @RuthMarcus, but I've never questioned her integrity. This is a sad day for Post. I have profound respect for her decision to resign. https://t.co/8PRaUOa7UL

— David French (@DavidAFrench) March 10, 2025

Political commentator Alan F Jr also posted to X, “I don’t think journalism is different than any other job in restricting public criticism of your boss on the company dollar.”

I don’t know, this qualifies as career suicide, unless she was looking for an excuse to retire. No one’s clamoring to give her as prominent a platform. I don’t think journalism is different than any other job in restricting public criticism of your boss on the company dollar. https://t.co/qG23Kyo31s

— Alan F Jr (@AlanFJr) March 10, 2025

A Post spokesperson said Monday, “We’re grateful for Ruth’s significant contributions to The Washington Post over the past 40 years. We respect her decision to leave and wish her the best.”

The Post has been struggling in recent year. Several other prominent journalists left over Bezos’s changes to the paper, including his decision to not endorse a candidate in the November 2024 presidential election. The editorial staff had prepared to support Democrat Kamala Harris.

That move also led to a mass exodus of subscribers.