The Washington Post has announced that their newly appointed editor, Robert Winnett, will not assume the position. The announcement comes after reports raised speculation about Winnett’s connections to unethical news gathering practices in Britain.
Will Lewis, the chief executive of The Post, which has been owned by the billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos since 2013, confirmed the news in an emailed statement to The New York Times.
“It is with regret that I share with you that Robert Winnett has withdrawn from the position of editor at the Washington Post,” Mr. Lewis wrote. “Rob has my greatest respect and is an incredibly talented editor and journalist.”
Winnett chose to withdraw himself from the position of running The Post’s newsroom, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
The Post’s previous editor will stay at The Daily Telegraph, where he is deputy editor, according to emails sent to employees of the London-based newspaper and staff members of The Post on Friday.
“I’m pleased to report that Rob Winnett has decided to stay with us,” read a message to Telegraph employees from the newspaper’s top editor, Chris Evans. “As you all know, he’s a talented chap and their loss is our gain.”
Winnett’s decision to stay in Britain is the latest of several controversies at The Post, as earlier this month, the paper’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, abruptly resigned from her position. This occurred as Lewis announced a plan to significantly reorganize the newsroom, including adding a “third newsroom” that would be tasked with attracting new audiences.
A Post investigation published Sunday revealed Winnett’s connections to a confessed con artist turned whistleblower who has admitted to using illegal methods to gain information for stories in Britain’s Sunday Times, where Winnett and Lewis previously worked together.
The New York Times also reported that Winnett and Lewis had based some stories on stolen records, and raised speculation about a payment made to obtain information that led to a 2009 investigation into government corruption, which shook the British political establishment and led to several officials’ resignations.
Lewis disclosed that Matt Murray will stay on as executive editor and continue to oversee news coverage until Winnett’s replacement is found, though he did not comment on the alleged controversies.
