Bezos Loses the Support of His 'Most Famous Employee'

Bob Woodward says he once trusted Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos to shield the paper; his new memoir suggests that trust has worn thin. In Secrets, out Nov. 24 and previewed by the New York Times, the Post's associate editor accuses Bezos of eroding public confidence in the paper's independence by slashing staff, reshaping the editorial page, and cozying up to President Trump, even if he hasn't meddled in specific stories. The breaking point, he writes, came in 2024 when Bezos killed a Kamala Harris endorsement and ended presidential endorsements altogether, a move Woodward says looked like "capitulating to Trump."

The Times notes that 83-year-old Woodward, described as Bezos' "most famous employee," also uses the book to finally identify some of his most closely guarded sources, detail how he cracked Supreme Court secrecy for 1979's The Brethren, revisit major scoops from Watergate to Iran-contra, and confront his own professional missteps, including the Janet Cooke scandal. He also discusses how a painful childhood fed his desire to unearth secrets in the memoir, which doubles as both a behind-the-scenes chronicle of power and a warning about media owners' responsibilities. For the full rundown, including the paper's response, read the original piece in the New York Times.