The Washington Post’s executive editor Sally Buzbee has resigned, according to a press release issued by the newspaper.
The move is a sudden and unexpected leadership change at one of the country’s largest newspapers—one that just last month won three Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting, editorial writing and commentary.
“Sally is an incredible leader and a supremely talented media executive who will be sorely missed,” Will Lewis, the CEO and publisher of the Post, said. “I wish her all the best going forward.”
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Buzbee will be replaced by Matt Murray, the former editor-in-chief at The Wall Street Journal, who will serve in the role until the 2024 election has concluded, the newspaper said in its announcement. Following the election, Robert Winnett, who is currently deputy editor of The Telegraph Media Group, will take over as editor of the Post.
It’s unclear what led to Buzbee’s decision.
She was hired in 2021 to replace Marty Baron, who served for nearly a decade in the position. Prior to her time in Washington, Buzbee was the top editor at the Associated Press.
In addition to its leadership change, the Post also announced that it plans to add a newsroom division for service and social media journalism “dedicated to better serving audiences who want to consume and pay for news differently from traditional offerings.”
The unit “will focus more on video storytelling, embracing AI to help, and flexible payment methods,” the paper wrote, while predicting that it will be operational by the third quarter of 2024.
