The "Democracy Dies in Darkness" slogan once flashed on the screen each time a user opened The Washington Post mobile app. (Screenshot)
When The Washington Post adopted its slogan, "Democracy Dies in Darkness," owner Jeff Bezos was ecstatic. It was at the outset of Donald Trump’s first presidency and a period in which Bezos—along with the rest of corporate America—had opted to take a more adversarial approach to dealing with him. The slogan, which signaled the stakes of the moment, made Bezos proud. So much so that I'm told Bezos insisted it appear prominently with The Post's logo on all products.
Eight years later, the political tides have dramatically turned. With Trump back in the Oval Office, and making it more clear than ever that he will use the powers of the federal government to punish critics, Bezos and the business community have taken an entirely different tact: They've openly tried to woo him. In addition to Amazon donating $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund and paying $40 million for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary, Bezos has gone out of his way to show Trump that he does not aim to be an outspoken critic this time around. That effort has been apparent at The Post, where Bezos has started meddling in the newspapers affairs, primarily in the opinion section.
But another notable shift has been The Post's approach to its widely recognized slogan, which has been happening not in the darkness, but in open light. Recently, the newspaper quietly…
The remainder of this newsletter is for paid subscribers only.
Scoop-driven reporting and sharp-edged analysis. See why thousands of industry professionals rely on Status.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
A subscription gets you full access to our nightly newsletter, which includes:
✅ Essential reporting on and analysis of the Fourth Estate, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the Information Wars, and more.
✅ Hand-curated links to the most consequential stories moving the needle in the key corridors of the industry.
✅ Unlimited access to our online archive where you can read previous editions of the newsletter.
