The yard goodbye celebration for Sally Buzbee, the lately departed govt editor of The Washington Submit, was starting to interrupt up on Sunday night when the newspaper printed a essential investigation into her everlasting successor.
The headline: “Incoming Submit 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 Submit’s newsroom in November, and described his hyperlinks to a non-public eye who used unethical media practices to land huge exclusives. It famous that Mr. Winnett had declined to remark to The Submit’s reporters — the identical ones he can be managing in a number of months.
The celebration was a farewell gesture by Patty Stonesifer, who was briefly The Submit’s chief govt final 12 months 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 govt, Will Lewis, whose reorganization of the newsroom prompted Ms. Buzbee’s resignation.
However the upcoming article contributed to an often awkward temper on the celebration, held at Ms. Stonesifer’s dwelling in Washington’s upscale Cleveland Park neighborhood and attended by senior editors and executives, in accordance with two individuals with data of the celebration.
It was simply the most recent uneasy second for individuals at The Submit. Workers have been reeling in latest weeks from successive revelations about Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett, who’re charged with turning round considered one of 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 information for newspaper articles earlier of their careers in Britain. The Submit 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 have been current mentioned.
Ms. Buzbee mentioned The Submit stood for holding highly effective individuals and establishments to account — particularly when it was exhausting to do. That remark, the individuals on the celebration mentioned, struck some there as a be aware of reward for The Submit’s aggressive protection of Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett over the previous two weeks.
The enhancing of Sunday’s practically 3,000-word investigation was aided by Cameron Barr, a former senior managing editor who was introduced again as a guide to assist shepherd The Submit’s protection of itself. Matt Murray, who’s overseeing The Submit’s newsroom on a brief foundation, informed editors final week that he had recused himself from involvement in considered one of The Submit’s articles that instantly talked about him.
A spokeswoman for The Submit mentioned the newspaper lined itself “independently, rigorously and pretty,” including that Mr. Lewis had no function within the protection.
“Given perceived and potential conflicts, now we have 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 evaluate and supply suggestions as effectively.
The turmoil at The Submit began early this month when Ms. Buzbee abruptly resigned and Mr. Lewis introduced that she would get replaced briefly by Mr. Murray, a former high editor of The Wall Road Journal. On the similar time, Mr. Lewis introduced a significant restructuring of The Submit’s editorial hierarchy, together with a so-called third newsroom that may 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 workers concerning 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 Submit 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 pleased with her conduct in her remaining weeks on the paper.
As well as, an NPR reporter disclosed that Mr. Lewis had beforehand supplied him an unique interview if he stopped protecting 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 Submit journalists. Some have mentioned amongst themselves whether or not Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett share their ethics, three individuals conversant in the matter mentioned.
On Monday, Mr. Murray tried to rally Submit editors throughout a morning assembly. He praised the paper’s article about Mr. Winnett and inspired them to stay centered on the journalism, in accordance with two individuals 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 Competition 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 may be the most effective invite of the 12 months and “set the tone for the upcoming week.”
On Sunday night time, invitees obtained a terse electronic mail: The dinner was off.
