Jeff Bezos reportedly traveled to Italy to celebrate Katy Perry’s birthday over the weekend amid turmoil over the Washington Post’s failure to endorse Kamala Harris for president. was.
The newspaper sparked an uproar Friday after announcing it would not endorse a presidential candidate this year, breaking with 36 years of tradition. Furious readers canceled their subscriptions, and long-time staffers issued scathing resignation letters.
Meanwhile, Bezos, who has a net worth of $208.5 billion according to Forbes magazine, was in Venice with his fiance Lauren Sanchez to celebrate Perry’s 40th birthday, a source familiar with Bezos told Semaphore. Ta.
Billionaire owner Jeff Bezos was reportedly vacationing in Venice with his fiancée Lauren Sanchez as the Washington Post newsroom descended into chaos. Bruce Grikas/WireImage
Sanchez marked the birthday celebration on her Instagram Story, posting a photo of Venice’s canals and tagging Perry with the caption, “Best weekend ever!!!” I love you. “
The billionaire addressed the controversy in an op-ed published Monday night, downplaying the importance of the newspaper’s support.
“The president’s support does nothing to change the scale of the election,” Bezos wrote. “No undecided voter in Pennsylvania would say, ‘I’m going to follow the endorsement of Newspaper A.’ None. What the president’s endorsement actually does is create a perception of bias.”
Bezos’ flight to Italy is unlikely to resolve the lawsuit at the paper, which he acquired for $250 million in 2013.
A Washington Post reporter had already thrown the Amazon founder under the bus in a story on Friday that said his editorial staff drafted support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The decision not to publish was made by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Post’s owner,” the Washington Post reported, citing two sources briefed on the incident. .
But the paper’s chief executive and publisher, Will Lewis, who Bezos hired in January despite internal outcry over his alleged involvement in the British phone-hacking scandal, announced his non-supportive stance. He claimed he was behind it.
He wrote in his column that the paper was not breaking with tradition, but rather returning to the paper’s practice from years ago of not endorsing candidates.
Sanchez wrote about Venezia’s birthday wishes on her Instagram Story. Lauren Sanchez/Instagram
Lewis said this was “consistent with the values the Post has always espoused” and reflected the paper’s belief in “the ability of our readers to make their own decisions.”
“We recognize that this will be read in a variety of ways, including tacit support for one candidate, condemnation of another, or an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable,” Lewis said. he wrote.
“We don’t see it that way. We believe it’s about the values the Post has always espoused and what we expect from our leaders: character and courage in service of American ethics; It is consistent with a reverence for control and respect for human freedom in all its aspects.
Sanchez took to his Instagram Story to wish Katy Perry a happy birthday. Getty Images
Journalists at the Washington Post continue to report that Bezos was the brains behind the vote.
Meanwhile, the newspaper is facing a full-scale crisis as left-leaning readers, staff, and journalists from other outlets attack the newspaper for their disapproval.
Following the Post’s disapproval, readers canceled their subscriptions and longtime staffers announced their resignations. AFP (via Getty Images)
More than 200,000 Washington Post readers reportedly unsubscribed within three days of the announcement, NPR reported.
The shocking figure, as of midday Monday, represented about 8% of the paper’s 2.5 million paid digital subscribers, the report said.
Several longtime editorial staff members have fled the nearly 150-year-old newspaper.
Opinion section member Robert Kagan resigned in protest Friday. He called Lewis’ explanation “laughable” and said his decision not to support it stemmed from Bezos’ alleged dealings with former President Donald Trump.
Kagan told The Daily Beast that Trump’s meeting with executives from Bezos’ Blue Origin space company on the same day the supporter was killed is evidence of their plans.
Bezos downplayed the importance of the newspaper’s support in an op-ed published Monday night. Zuffa LLC
Editorial board members David Hoffman and Molly Roberts followed suit, Semaphore media journalist Max Tani reported Monday.
Hoffman, who won the Pulitzer Prize last week and first joined the paper in 1982, said in his resignation letter published in I believe we are facing the same problem.” I think it is unacceptable and unconscionable for us to lose our voice in this moment of danger. ”
Mr. Roberts, another longtime Post employee who first joined the paper as a student intern while attending Harvard University, said he was resigning because the paper refused to endorse Ms. Harris.
“I am resigning from the Post editorial board because it is morally clear that I support Kamala Harris over Donald Trump,” Roberts said in his resignation letter. “Worse, our silence is exactly what Donald Trump wants: silence for the media and for us.”
