The Mirror

WaPo Publisher Katharine Weymouth Steps Down

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
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Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth is outta there.

Today she announced in a note to staff that she’ll be leaving the publication after 17 years. Owner Jeff Bezos wasted no time declaring her successor: Fred Ryan, formerly President and CEO of Politico and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation. “I welcome Fred and thank him for agreeing to become The Post’s next Publisher and CEO. I know he’s excited to meet the team and roll up his sleeves,” he said in a statement.

Weymouth expressed her heartfelt gratitude for working there. “The greatest honor of my life has been serving as Publisher of The Post these past seven years, working with all of you.” Weymouth added, “This is just the beginning of a wonderful new chapter for The Post.”

For his part, Ryan called WaPo the “crown jewel.”

CaptureweymouthRyan remarked, “This is an incredibly exciting time for all of us in media. The Washington Post is a crown jewel, exemplifying the finest in editorial quality and journalistic values. I am honored to follow four generations of Graham family leadership and thrilled with the opportunity to work with Jeff and the incredibly talented team at The Post.”

Of course, Bezos profusely thanked Weymouth for her service.

“I am so grateful to Katharine for agreeing to stay on as Publisher this past year,” he said. “She has successfully led many new initiatives and assured that the first ownership change of this great institution in eighty years has been done smoothly and without skipping a beat.”

The change happens Oct. 1.