• by Ray Schultz , June 21, 2024

The purported takeover of The Washington Post by British editors has suffered one setback.  

Robert Winnett, who was to join the Post as editor after the election this year, will instead remain at The Daily Telegraph as deputy editor of its Media Group, the Post reported Friday morning. 

“I’m pleased to report that Rob Winnett has decided to stay with us,” Chris Evans, Telegraph editor, wrote to the staff. “As you all know, he’s a talented chap and their loss is our gain.” 

The announcement follows a New York Times report that Winnett and Will Lewis, the embattled CEO/publisher of the Post, had done stories based on stolen records.

In a perhaps euphemistic statement, the Post story states that Winnett and Lewis are “veterans of London newsrooms that operate by different rules than their American counterparts.” 

Two Pulitzer Prize winners at the Post have called on Lewis himself to resign. 

Winnett’s withdrawal has delayed development of the “Third Newsroom,” a project intended to reach audiences that consume news in different ways. It will now be launched during the first three months of 2025. 

Matt Murray, another British news veteran who was to serve as executive editor until the election, will remain afterwards.   

The fast-moving story started earlier this month when Sally Buzbee stepped down as executive editor of the Post.

Lewis informed the staff that the Post is seeking a replacement for Winnett, and will "soon announce both the recruiting firm and process we will utilize to ensure a timely but thorough search for this important leadership role,” he wrote. 

“The Washington Post sets and models the highest ethical standards in journalism to which every Post employee is expected to adhere,” a Post spokesperson said, according to the Post account.