Washington Submit Managing Editor Matea Gold, proven in Might making remarks in regards to the paper successful Pulitzer Prizes, is headed to the rival New York Occasions. Performing Submit Government Editor Matt Murray blocked publication of a narrative about her departure, saying the paper mustn’t cowl itself. Her resolution to go away caps a yr of crises for the Submit involving its management and its funds.
Invoice O’Leary/Washington Submit by way of Getty Pictures
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Invoice O’Leary/Washington Submit by way of Getty Pictures
Because the Washington Submit newsroom awaits the appointment of a brand new high editor, its performing information chief intervened to dam an article in regards to the departure of its second-highest-ranking editor, a contender for the place, in line with a number of individuals with information of occasions.
Managing Editor Matea Gold, a veteran of 11-and-a-half years on the Submit who has constructed up deep loyalty amongst staffers, had been herself thought-about a high inside candidate to run the newsroom. Based on associates, it grew to become clear that Submit Writer and Chief Government Will Lewis was poised to go over her.
She is as a substitute headed to be second-highest rating chief of the New York Occasions Washington bureau, because the Occasions introduced immediately.
The interior tensions over the collection of the Submit‘s new government editor are capping a sequence of crises for Lewis, together with tensions over the paper’s reporting by itself points.
Performing editor says Submit mustn’t report on itself
On Saturday, Performing Government Editor Matt Murray advised editors that the paper mustn’t cowl itself, in line with 4 individuals with information.
This isn’t how the Submit has dealt with previous developments about itself or its leaders. Final yr, it lined the retirement of Senior Managing Editor Cameron Barr and in 2015, it revealed an article about Managing Editor Kevin Merida’s resolution to go away for ESPN.
Murray didn’t reply to NPR’s request for remark and Gold declined remark.
NPR spoke to 9 individuals with ties to the Submit for this text. They requested anonymity as a way to communicate candidly about delicate inside issues on the paper.
A Washington Submit Co. spokesperson declined to reply questions for this story, however stated, “The Washington Post newsroom is editorially independent and operates in service of our community and national interest.”
Murray beforehand labored beneath Lewis on the Wall Road Journal, the place Lewis served as writer and chief government from 2014 to 2020.
Late final yr, Submit Proprietor Jeff Bezos introduced Lewis would change into writer. He took the highest submit in January and appointed Murray in June, ostensibly to supervise a brand new innovation newsroom.
Murray was to run the core newsroom till a former colleague of Lewis’s on the Telegraph arrived from the U.Ok. These plans collapsed.
Murray has continued to run the Submit‘s main newsroom on an interim foundation and stays in competition for the highest editor’s place completely.
Gold is very regarded contained in the Submit newsroom, particularly as a stabilizing determine. In a social media submit, Affiliate Editor and columnist Karen Tumulty referred to as Gold “deeply respected and deeply beloved” there. Six colleagues inform NPR they consider Lewis’s resolution not to decide on Gold helped push her into the arms of its main competitor, compounding a way of frustration internally.
Gold was not granted an interview with Bezos for the highest place, in line with colleagues. Past Murray, Clifford Levy, deputy writer of the New York Occasions Co., Wirecutter and Athletic websites is believed to be in competition for the editor’s job.
She is the newest in a sequence of great departures from the paper, together with former Government Editor Sally Buzbee, whom Lewis sought to assign to a brand new position. She’s now with Reuters. Reporters Shane Harris left for the Atlantic and Devlin Barrett for the Occasions.
The Submit faces a sequence of challenges and crises
Lately, the Submit has endured a sequence of challenges and crises which have picked up tempo beneath Lewis: deep monetary losses, sharp job cuts, revelations that Lewis sought to stress the Submit to not cowl questions of whether or not he was concerned in protecting up crimes greater than a decade in the past at Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloids, and hard scrutiny of his personal journalistic document within the U.Ok.
He had beforehand pressured NPR to not disclose recent materials supporting the allegations of a coverup within the Murdoch tabloid hacking scandal in London.
Whereas the Submit didn’t initially report the allegations raised by NPR, Gold oversaw the paper’s later protection of them, in addition to Lewis’ controversial previous in British newspapers. A number of colleagues say he was visibly chilly and quick along with her in assembly with high editors. Barr, the retired former senior managing editor, was subsequently introduced in to edit these tales along with her.
Most not too long ago, greater than 250,000 digital subscribers formally canceled after proprietor Jeff Bezos killed a deliberate editorial endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris simply days earlier than Election Day. The determine represented greater than a tenth of all digital subscribers. (There are about 128,000 every day print subscribers, in line with the paper’s most not too long ago disclosed figures in September.)
By Amazon and Blue Origin, Bezos’s firms have billions of {dollars} value of commerce involving the federal authorities. Final week Bezos advised the Occasions he didn’t remorse his resolution on blocking the editorial and remained hopeful about President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration, regardless of Trump’s assaults on the press and the Submit.
An skilled reporter on the Model desk, Manuel Roig-Franzia, had been assigned to jot down profiles of every of the seemingly candidates for the manager editor spot, together with Murray and Gold. When he discovered of Gold’s departure, editors accredited assigning Roig-Franzia to jot down a bit about her resolution and her legacy on the Submit.
Murray took duty for the choice to not have the Submit cowl this newest improvement about its management, regardless of the ramifications for the paper. An editor with whom he spoke advised colleagues that Murray had not learn the deliberate article on Gold however stated to “pin it on me” if anybody requested why it didn’t run.
