Sydney Hampton
Jeff Bezos controls writers of The Washington Post.
In our current time, conservative billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are deciding the fate of U.S. democracy. With this change comes concern whether our civic freedoms will continue to decline.
Recently, Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post since 2013, announced that the publication would limit editorial topics. Under this new direction, opinion writers are unable to write pieces opposing personal liberties and free markets. In his statement posted on X, Bezos added that “viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”
Bezos believes his newspaper does not need to report on all views of all topics because the internet adequately covers them. This decision simply backfired on him since The Washington Post has lost all reliability as one of the biggest newspaper companies in the nation.
Although Bezos said other topics will still be covered, he simultaneously restricts conversation on two of the most important topics in our society. Furthermore, he admitted to giving his editorial page editor David Shipley an ultimatum: agree to the decision or resign. Shipley chose the latter.
Subsequently, 75,000 readers ended their subscription to the newspaper.
Billionaires should not decide what people say or do not say. Clearly, owning a newspaper company does not automatically make you wise enough to understand what a country really needs: discourse. The back-and-forth is what keeps the country in a democratic state rather than an oligarchy.
America does not need one-sided coverage on topics like gun control, abortion, or immigration. Instead, America needs more advocacy for issues that affect the future of democracy. The country should be in a state of progression, keeping all constitutional rights rather than suddenly losing them—especially our freedom of speech.
In essence, there is no longer freedom of speech in The Washington Post. It is difficult for Bezos to understand the current situation middle-class citizens experience because he is simply not like them. A billionaire does not understand that speaking out against absurdities in one’s government is essential for change.
Every day, US citizens lose more and more rights. When one can no longer speak on their opinions, there is nothing else to do but sit and watch the fall of democracy. And as that happens, Bezos will be sitting next to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, viewing through a flatscreen TV while resting on a luxurious couch produced from the sweat of the lower class.