Washington Post’s opinion author, David Shipley, comes out as the owner of the newspaper, Jeff Bezos, directs the section in a libertarian direction.
In an email to Post employees on Wednesday, Mr Bezos said Mr Shipley resigned from reducing the focus of the opinion department to defend “personal freedoms and free markets”.
“I am in America and America and proud to be so,” said Bezos. “Our country did not come here by being typical. And much of America’s success was freedom in the economic sphere and everywhere. Freedom is moral – minimizes coercion – and practical. It leads creativity, invention and the prosperity. “
In his note, Mr Bezos said he asked Mr Shipley if he wanted to stay in place and Mr Shipley refused.
“I suggested that if the answer was not ‘hell yes’, then it had to be ‘no’, Mr Bezos wrote.
In a note for staff members, Mr Shipley said he decided to leave “after a reflection on how I can get better in the profession I love”.
“I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given to work with a team of journalists whose commitment to a strong, innovative, he said comments that inspired me every day,” Mr. Shipley wrote.
This is a growing story. Check again for updates.
