Longtime Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson is leaving. He cited Bezos' new editorial policy

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson is leaving the newspaper, the second such veteran to exit in the wake of owner Jeff Bezos' directive that the Post narrow the topics covered by its opinion section to personal liberties and the free market.

Robinson, 71, has worked at the Post since 1980 and been a columnist since 2005, winning a Pulitzer Prize for his work focused on the election of Barack Obama as the nation's first Black president in 2008.

In a memo to colleagues reported by The New York Times on Thursday, Robinson said the “significant shift” in the opinion section's mission had encouraged him that it was time to move on.

Last month, columnist Ruth Marcus, who had worked at the newspaper since 1984, resigned after she said management decided not to run her commentary critical of Bezos' policy. As the Post has faced turmoil in the past year, it has enforced a policy of not letting its staff members write about internal matters.

The newspaper's opinion editor, David Shipley, also resigned because of the shift in focus.

In a message on X Thursday, Robinson said that he was “retiring from my longtime journalistic home but not from journalism” and would keep followers informed of his next move. Robinson appears regularly as a commentator on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”

He began his journalism career at the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1970s, and worked a series of jobs at the Post. He covered city hall in Washington, was a correspondent in London and South America, and was city editor, foreign editor and assistant managing editor.

In a statement, the Washington Post offered congratulations to the “beloved” Robinson upon his retirement.

“Eugene's strong perspective and impeccable integrity have regularly shaped our public discourse, cementing his legacy as a leading voice in American journalism,” the Post said.

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David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social