William Lewis, a reporter-turned-executive who spent years working in British media and for Rupert Murdoch-owned companies, has been named the CEO and publisher of The Washington Post,
As CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of the Wall Street Journal from 2014 to 2020, Lewis, states The Post, was credited with increasing the Journal’s digital subscriber base.
In an email to The Post’s staff, Post owner Jeff Bezos cited Lewis’s background as both a journalist and executive in making him a “strong fit” for the job
“As I’ve gotten to know Will, I’ve been drawn to his love of journalism and passion for driving financial success,” Bezos wrote. “Will embodies the tenacity, energy and vision needed for this role. He believes that together we will build the right future for The Post. I agree.”
After leaving Dow Jones, Lewis, 54, co-founded the News Movement, which focuses on delivering nonpartisan news to younger audiences on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other social platforms.
Before that, he had a long career in England, working first as a business reporter and editor and then as chief editor of The Daily Telegraph.
According to The Post, “Lewis takes over during a tumultuous time for The Post, which has experienced a drop-off in both audience and subscribers. Executives are offering buyouts across the company in an effort to reduce its head count by about 10 percent; the newsroom is expected to shrink to about 940 journalists, and The Post is projected to end the year taking a $100 million loss.
He replaces Fred Ryan, who stepped down earlier this year after overseeing most of The Post’s decade of rapid growth since it was purchased by Bezos, the founder of Amazon.
More here.
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