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Everybody else, just ignore this post. I am putting it up here.
Jeff Bezos gutted the Washington Post today like he was cleaning a fish.
Here is a letter from the head of Meidas Touch — independent journalist.
Dear Jeff Bezos and the leadership team of The Washington Post,
As you know, I am Ben Meiselas, the co-founder and chairman of the MeidasTouch Network, now the largest independent news network in the world.
I never thought I would need to write this letter.
The Washington Post was once a standard-bearer for American journalism. It stood for fearless investigative reporting, for holding the powerful accountable, and for the simple but radical idea that democracy cannot survive without a free press.
That institution is now being destroyed.
Roughly one-third of your reporting staff has been eliminated. Some of the most respected journalists in the profession—people with decades-long careers devoted to serious investigative work—were discarded. Not with dignity. Not with gratitude. But with a cold, generic letter from human resources.
That level of callousness tells us everything.
Let’s be clear about what this really is. This is not restructuring. This is not belt-tightening. This is not a difficult but necessary business decision.
As the year winds down, and I am finishing work today for the holidays, I am thinking about things and I think I will try and do more journaling in the new year. I have let my blogs go dead and think I will do more here. I love posting my Hanukkah pics and think I have thoughts to put out here. Especially about the current state of things in the United States which are very troubling. So I will post more or some at least.
I hope you all are having a good holiday season this year. We are troubled here in the United States. It is disturbing here to be honest. I will share more of what is going on. I feel like I am in a bit of a liberal bubble here in California - surrounded by like minded people where I live and work - but I still have trouble believing we have a fascist in the White House and that they paved over the Rose Garden - and tore down the East Wing of the White House - it's unbelievable to me and don't get me started on healthcare. I really cannot believe it. I do think that Trump has dementia and is not well and that he is not really in charge - that is my theory. He is not all there.
Anyway - I have problems with all of what is going on here and really am disturbed by it.
I am staying in Berkeley for the holidays - I could not afford the airfare prices for Christmas travel. I am planning an East Coast trip over the summer to visit. I love visiting in the Summer so will do that.
