You might have heard that Jeff Bezos just bought us. So what does that mean for our pursuit of journalism? Taking a look at what happened to Business Insider earlier this year is a good start. Bezos joined in with the business news site's owners to invest $5 million into building up its news and editorial operations.
Since then, the brand has continued to be a grand aggregator, but has also brought on talent from other publications like Josh Barro from Bloomberg View as Politics Editor and continue to expand its actual news coverage. And it doesn't look like they intend to slow down, based on their slew of current editorial openings.
Of course, even if he had invested the whole $5 million himself, Bezos' stake in Business Insider would be something like pocket change. Even his $250 million purchase of the Post is less than 1 percent of his net worth. And he wasn't directly involved with the day-to-day business of Business Insider. Likewise, Bezos's letter to Post employees says he will be maintaining his residence in "the other Washington" and leaving the day-to-day to current paper leadership. Bezos says he takes the role of our new supreme overlord seriously, writing:
Journalism plays a critical role in a free society, and The Washington Post -- as the hometown paper of the capital city of the United States -- is especially important. I would highlight two kinds of courage the Grahams have shown as owners that I hope to channel. The first is the courage to say wait, be sure, slow down, get another source. Real people and their reputations, livelihoods and families are at stake. The second is the courage to say follow the story, no matter the cost.
Related stories:
