By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
Every time the left loses some control over the media; they raise a tremendous outcry. They start talking about how freedom, democracy, and human rights are at risk. They warn of the rise of populism, authoritarianism, or even fascism. Yet, their hypocrisy is always fully exposed.
Now, another high-tech “patriarch”, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has shaken things up for them. After Elon Musk took over Twitter, renamed it X, and eliminated censorship disguised as “fact-checking”, and after Mark Zuckerberg announced that he would follow suit on social media platforms under Meta, Bezos has also decided to intervene in the media landscape.
Twelve years ago, Bezos acquired ownership of one of the largest, most influential, and most prestigious American daily newspapers, The Washington Post. Until last fall, he had not interfered in its management. However, he prevented the editorial board from publicly endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which came as a major shock to much of the newsroom. An even greater shock followed recently when Bezos announced a radical shift in editorial policy, particularly regarding the opinion section. Moving forward, the newspaper will publish opinion pieces based on two fundamental values: commitment to personal freedoms and advocacy for the free market. Articles opposing these “core pillars” will be left to other media outlets.
This shift marks a significant departure from the paper’s previous editorial stance. The Washington Post, which was once fairly centrist and featured contributions from authors with diverse viewpoints, had in recent years shifted significantly to the left. It began abandoning its neutral stance, increasingly embracing progressivism, and often replacing objective reporting with journalistic activism.
As expected, the announcement triggered immediate outrage from Post editors, journalists, and external supporters. Some have decided to leave the publication, the first being opinion editor David Shipley. Critics accuse Bezos of violating editorial independence and attempting to silence dissenting voices. One former journalist even labelled his move as imposing “the self-serving agenda of a white male billionaire”. Yes, gender and race apparently matter in this case, too!
Of course, once again, progressive rhetoric and their appeals to high ideals reveal a great deal of hypocrisy. When Twitter – while still in the “correct hands” – introduced content moderation, which in practice meant primarily censoring right-leaning voices, they insisted that it was a private company and that owners had the right to do as they pleased. (Ironically, many of those making this argument consider themselves opponents of global capitalism.) Now that the private owner of The Washington Post has decided to change the newspaper’s direction, suddenly everything is wrong. Moreover, championing personal freedom and the free market – now the core of the newspaper’s editorial stance – is hardly controversial. On the contrary, these principles form the bedrock of Western civilisation. Without ensuring individuals’ freedom of thought and action, which also includes free enterprise in the economic sphere, the Western world would not have achieved such progress, nor would Westerners enjoy the prosperity they do today.
Yet, many modern leftists reject these values. Instead, they promote a “woke” agenda that actually undermines the West’s core principles. That is why it is high time to end their dominance in the media – and in other spheres where the intellectual climate of society is shaped.