Famed reporter Bob Woodward issued an unequivocal endorsement Tuesday of the sale of The Washington Post to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, saying that the struggling news company needs “to be shaken up.”
Woodward, who helped break the Watergate scandal for the Post and now serves as an associate editor there, said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Bezos has the pedigree to reverse the fortunes of the newspaper.
“It’s sad, but we’re in this survival game and I think when you look at this the bottom line in really everything surrounding it, is good news,” Woodward said. “Jeff Bezos is one of the real innovators. He understands things in ways that other people don’t. He’s willing to put a lot of his own money on the line here. He has deep pockets. We’ve discussed about, you know, what’s the status of journalism reporting? Do we really know what goes on?”
Recalling previous remarks given by Bezos, Woodward also rejected the notion that the deal parallels Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of The Wall Street Journal.
“[Bezos] gave a very interesting speech nine years ago in which he said, whenever there is something that is big that’s done inefficiently, it’s an opportunity. And if there’s anything done inefficiently it’s the news business and so we need to be shaken up,” Woodward said. “I think he will do that. I know him a little bit. He’s just an original and so this isn’t Rupert Murdoch buying The Wall Street Journal. This is somebody who believes in the values that the Post has been prominent in practicing and so I don’t see any downside.”
Two other prominent members of the Post family offered their own reaction to the deal. Ezra Klein, the popular blogger for the Post, and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Eugene Robinson both expressed shock at the sale.