Billionaire WaPo Owner Bezos Admits Mainstream News Caters 'Only to a Certain Elite'
Pens Washington Post opinion piece attacking independent journalism.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, has made a rare and pointed admission about the true nature of mainstream media, acknowledging in a recent opinion piece that The Post and other major outlets are increasingly speaking only to what he calls a “certain elite.”
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The concession, though framed as a leadership directive, inadvertently unveils a more troubling reality about the role of mainstream media in serving an insular aristocracy rather than the general public.
It underscores the critical need for independent journalism operations like this website, which challenge the narratives forced upon us by Big Media and bring overlooked truths to the public, free from the constraints of serving an entitled minority.
In context, the admission arises in his article as Bezos complains that mainstream media’s massive credibility problem has pushed the public toward more independent sources of information.
Frustrated by this, he characterizes independent news sources—what he calls “off-the-cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts and other unverified news sources”—as threats, positioning them as vectors of misinformation that “deepen divisions.”
The former Amazon CEO gives this disparaging portrayal despite Americans continuing to register record-low trust in newspapers like his, with only 31% expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in mainstream media to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly,” according to Gallup.
Thirty-six percent of U.S. adults have no trust at all.
Here’s Bezos’ fuller statement:
Lack of credibility isn’t unique to The Post. Our brethren newspapers have the same issue. And it’s a problem not only for media, but also for the nation. Many people are turning to off-the-cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts and other unverified news sources, which can quickly spread misinformation and deepen divisions. The Washington Post and the New York Times win prizes, but increasingly we talk only to a certain elite. More and more, we talk to ourselves. (It wasn’t always this way — in the 1990s we achieved 80 percent household penetration in the D.C. metro area.) (Editor’s Note: Bolded emphasis mine.)
By demonizing independent journalism, Bezos’ efforts to defend Big Media’s credibility reveal the impact independent journalism is having.
It suggests he views independent journalism as a formidable competitor—a force capable of challenging the narratives and influence traditionally dominated by elite-controlled media like his Washington Post.
This targeting reflects how necessary independent journalism has become, as it grows into a powerful source of information that rivals the established media giants.
Far from assuring the public, the newspaper owner’s words signal that major media outlets, by their own admission, are more aligned with a particular “elite” audience and the complex network of interests supporting it.
For those who have long suspected the existence of a media elite, Bezos’s own words provide stark confirmation.
You can read his full opinion piece, titled “The hard truth: Americans don’t trust the news media,” here.
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