Tag: Washington Post

Amazon founder Bezos dims lights on democracy

Little more than a month into the new U.S. presidency, the Washington Post’s owner has dimmed the light on a motto that became a beacon for freedom during the first Trump Administration.

Democracy dies in darkness has appeared below Washington Post for the past eight years. Last week it was powdered in irony after the newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, decreed in an email to staff that the newspaper’s editorial section would shift its editorial focus and that only opinions that support and defend “personal liberties” and “free markets” would be welcome.

Amazon founder Bezos had already sullied the Post’s reputation by refusing to allow it to endorse a candidate during the presidential election – an action capable of no other interpretation than support for Donald Trump.

Since then, there has been a $US1 million Amazon contribution to Trump’s inauguration and, according to the Wall Street Journal, a $US40 million deal with First Lady Melania Trump for an authorized documentary to be run on Amazon’s streaming service.

Now Bezos has openly bowed before the new emperor and dimmed the Washington Post’s lights. Continue reading “Amazon founder Bezos dims lights on democracy” →

Best of both worlds

New Zealanders with experience on a world stage are a formidable force. 

It’s good news that two of them are filling key vacancies in our news media organisations.

Washington Post correspondent Anna Fifield took up her role as editor of the Dominion Post yesterday. By the end of the year Al Jazeera and Bloomberg news executive Paul Yurisich will be in place as TVNZ’s head of news and current affairs.

Both bring to their respective roles the knowledge and experience garnered from years working in the most challenging news environments. Crucially, it is married with their innate understanding of what makes their fellow New Zealanders tick – the social, cultural and historical contexts that colour our view of the world and of ourselves.

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