Pursuing The Post

In the days since Jeff Bezos plunged The Washington Post into unprecedented turmoil by blocking the newspaper's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, certain media circles have been abuzz about the possibility that the Amazon billionaire might be willing to part ways with the broadsheet.

To be clear, Bezos signaled a strong commitment to The Post just this week when he wrote an opinion essay defending his decision for the newspaper to sit on the 2024 presidential endorsement sidelines. Moreover, selling The Post at this particular moment, with its state of affairs at such a low point, would also deal an ugly blow to Bezos' reputation, something he quite clearly cares deeply about. In other words, it's unlikely that the newspaper will be put up for sale in the immediate future.

That said, while Bezos is unlikely to be offloading the treasured institution at this very moment, it is not out of the question that he may eventually grow tired of all the trouble associated with owning it. Outside the immense editorial headaches it presents (and those alone are plentiful), the outlet is bleeding money and far from being on the financial footing Bezos would like. After more than a decade of effort, Bezos has not found the success he envisioned when he purchased The Post from the Graham family for $250 million. And Bezos could minimize the reputational hit he would take for selling the newspaper by crafting a compelling narrative for doing so, telling the public that he realizes the newspaper deserves a hands-on owner who can devote more time to building it into the powerhouse it deserves to be.

Hence why potential suitors are eagerly positioning themselves, as if lining up outside The Post's headquarters on K Street, waiting for the day Bezos might choose — or be convinced — to relinquish control of the prized outlet.