The yard goodbye celebration for Sally Buzbee, the not too long ago departed government editor of The Washington Put up, was starting to interrupt up on Sunday night when the newspaper printed a important investigation into her everlasting successor.
The headline: “Incoming Put up editor tied to self-described ‘thief’ who claimed function in his reporting.”
The article centered on Robert Winnett, the British journalist poised to take over The Put up’s newsroom in November, and described his hyperlinks to a personal eye who used unethical media practices to land massive exclusives. It famous that Mr. Winnett had declined to remark to The Put up’s reporters — the identical ones he shall be managing in a number of months.
The celebration was a farewell gesture by Patty Stonesifer, who was quickly The Put up’s chief government final yr and is a detailed ally of Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and the paper’s proprietor. As a part of her job, Ms. Stonesifer helped recruit the brand new everlasting chief government, Will Lewis, whose reorganization of the newsroom prompted Ms. Buzbee’s resignation.
However the upcoming article contributed to an sometimes awkward temper on the celebration, held at Ms. Stonesifer’s residence in Washington’s upscale Cleveland Park neighborhood and attended by senior editors and executives, in keeping with two folks with data of the celebration.
It was simply the newest uneasy second for folks at The Put up. Workers have been reeling in current weeks from successive revelations about Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett, who’re charged with turning round one among America’s high information organizations. A day earlier than the celebration, The New York Occasions reported that Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett had used stolen data for newspaper articles earlier of their careers in Britain. The Put up declined to touch upon that article.
On the celebration, Ms. Buzbee stood as much as give remarks after Ms. Stonesifer inspired her to talk, three individuals who had been current mentioned.
Ms. Buzbee mentioned The Put up stood for holding highly effective folks and establishments to account — particularly when it was exhausting to do. That remark, the folks on the celebration mentioned, struck some there as a observe of reward for The Put up’s aggressive protection of Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett over the previous two weeks.
The modifying of Sunday’s practically 3,000-word investigation was aided by Cameron Barr, a former senior managing editor who was introduced again as a marketing consultant to assist shepherd The Put up’s protection of itself. Matt Murray, who’s overseeing The Put up’s newsroom on a short lived foundation, informed editors final week that he had recused himself from involvement in one among The Put up’s articles that immediately talked about him.
A spokeswoman for The Put up mentioned the newspaper coated itself “independently, rigorously and pretty,” including that Mr. Lewis had no function within the protection.
“Given perceived and potential conflicts, we have now requested former senior managing editor Cameron Barr, who stepped down from that place in 2023 and now has a contractual relationship as a senior affiliate editor, to supervise this protection,” the spokeswoman mentioned. She added that Mr. Murray and different high editors would evaluation and supply suggestions as effectively.
The turmoil at The Put up began early this month when Ms. Buzbee abruptly resigned and Mr. Lewis introduced that she would get replaced quickly by Mr. Murray, a former high editor of The Wall Road Journal. On the identical time, Mr. Lewis introduced a significant restructuring of The Put up’s editorial hierarchy, together with a so-called third newsroom that will deal with social media, innovation and repair journalism. Beneath the plan, Mr. Murray would run the brand new division after the November election, when Mr. Winnett would take over as editor of the core information protection.
Mr. Lewis, who began within the high function in January, has been charged with making the publication worthwhile once more after a number of years of huge losses. He has been blunt with the employees in regards to the firm’s enterprise struggles, together with a 50 % drop in viewers since 2020.
Days after Ms. Buzbee’s exit, The Occasions reported that she and Mr. Lewis clashed within the weeks main as much as her resignation over whether or not The Put up ought to cowl a improvement in a phone-hacking court docket case involving Mr. Lewis. Mr. Lewis has denied pressuring Ms. Buzbee. In her feedback on the celebration on Sunday, Ms. Buzbee mentioned she was happy with her conduct in her closing weeks on the paper.
As well as, an NPR reporter disclosed that Mr. Lewis had beforehand provided him an unique interview if he stopped overlaying the phone-hacking case. Mr. Lewis mentioned he’d had an off-the-record dialog with the reporter, whom he described as “an activist, not a journalist.”
The unfolding controversy has unsettled many Put up journalists. Some have mentioned amongst themselves whether or not Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett share their ethics, three folks conversant in the matter mentioned.
On Monday, Mr. Murray tried to rally Put up editors throughout a morning assembly. He praised the paper’s article about Mr. Winnett and inspired them to stay centered on the journalism, in keeping with two folks conversant in his remarks.
Mr. Lewis has already modified a few of his plans. This week he was anticipated to attend the annual Cannes Lions Worldwide Pageant of Creativity, a glittering confab within the south of France the place advertisers and media grandees mingle over glasses of rosé.
Mr. Lewis had informed choose attendees that as a part of his go to, he was organizing a “critically glam dinner” at an upscale restaurant, La Colombe d’Or, that will be the very best invite of the yr and “set the tone for the upcoming week.”
On Sunday night time, invitees acquired a terse electronic mail: The dinner was off.
