The Washington Post announced on Monday that the newspaper was sold to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos for $250 million — sparking concerns within the media world.
In light of the unexpected announcement, the National Association of Black Journalists has released a statement saying they are “surprised and saddened” by the sale — which was a decision made on behalf of the Graham family, who have owned the paper since 1933.
“This is a momentous development for our industry that reinforces the continued uncertainty at America’s newspapers and raises concerns about the fate of journalists at the Post, particularly its many NABJ members,” the press release reads.
While Bezos and the Graham family have made it clear that the sale would not lead to layoffs among the paper’s 2,200 employers, NABJ said it hopes that the statement especially holds true for Kevin Merida, the Post’s managing editor and award-winning NABJ member.
“If the sale had to happen, it’s good that we were sold to a tech person because that’s the direction the business is going,” said Former NABJ President Vanessa Williams, who is an editor on the Post’s national desk.
While the news was unsettling to some and surprising to many, NABJ remains optimistic that the transaction will bring success to the paper from new ventures through the use of technology.
The organization wrote, “We invite Bezos to work with NABJ to ensure that diversity is an imperative in the Post’s growth strategy. We look forward to forging the kind of lasting relationship with him that we have enjoyed with the Grahams.”
NABJ recently held its annual convention this past weekend in Kissimmee, FL where hundreds of the nation’s young, aspiring and veteran black journalists attended a series of panels and networking sessions.
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