Incoming Washington Post editor decides not to take job amid ethics concerns
The editor recently tapped to run The Washington Post won't take the job after all, the chief executive of the newspaper announced Friday.
The editor recently tapped to run The Washington Post won't take the job after all, the chief executive of the newspaper announced Friday morning, following a series of reports that raised questions about his links to journalistic practices in Britain that would be considered unethical in the United States.
Will Lewis, the publisher and chief executive of The Washington Post, told staff in a note that the editor, Robert Winnett, withdrew from the position and plans to remain in the United Kingdom, where he is deputy editor of The Daily Telegraph.
"We will immediately launch a new search for Editor of our core coverage. We will soon announce both the recruiting firm and process we will utilize to ensure a timely but thorough search for this important leadership role," Lewis said in the message to staff.
In recent weeks, The Washington Post has been engulfed in a furor over Winnett's hiring and other issues, including the exit of the newspaper's previous top editor, Sally Buzbee, the first woman to lead the newsroom. The New York Times and the Post reported on Winnett's ties to a private investigator who confirmed he used unethical practices to land information.
Winnett and Lewis both came under fire after The New York Times reported that the men used fraudulently obtained phone and company records in newspaper articles when they worked as journalists in London two decades ago. NBC News has not independently confirmed that reporting.
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