Cutting sustained coverage of Israel, Gaza, Iran, and Syria weakens public understanding of global conflict and policy stakes
A robust and balanced press should be the bedrock of democracy. When The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists and scrapped entire coverage areas—effectively pulling the plug on the MENA region—it made a serious mistake.
Washington, DC—the nation’s capital—is the epicenter of global newsmaking and power-brokering. It is where the president leads, Congress sits, and countless foreign diplomats maintain a second home. It is also where an enormous volume of news is made, reported, and shared.
After Jeff Bezos cut Middle East reporters, he effectively shut the door on sustained coverage of Israel, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, and Syria—just to name a few of the world’s most urgent flashpoints, any one of which can dominate headlines for weeks.
As an industry icon, The Washington Post cannot credibly claim global seriousness while treating Middle East reporting as optional. If the business worldview is nothing but spreadsheets—and it forgets that journalism exists to inform the public about local and global events—then journalism really will “die in darkness.”
Right now, the Post’s downward spiral looks like a collapse in institutional integrity—and an unhealthy, unquestioning worship of the bottom line. The paper should lean neither left nor right; it should be guided by neither politics nor money, but by the truth.
If AI replaces the hard-won talent of deep-thinking journalists and clickbait becomes the editorial compass, policy will suffer—and the country will be less able to defend the freedoms it claims to protect.
People in the United States need to know when American hostages are taken by Hamas terrorists—part of the 251 abducted on Oct. 7. They also need clear reporting, over time, on what happens next: who is returned alive, who is returned dead, and which cases stretch on for years. Handing that mission to cyber-punditry is a frightening alternative.
They also need reporting that explains oil-price swings tied to the Middle East and how those shocks ripple into the broader economy and markets.
Just as important, the public needs to be knowledgeable about the trade deals the US has with Qatar, Israel, and Saudi Arabia—and why those details matter. The public also needs to know when dangerous Captagon pills move toward the US through Syria, and when Iran’s regime has slaughtered thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of protesters, many with relatives in the US.
Meanwhile, the great cooperative stories—in tech and AI, in defense and agriculture—risk never seeing the light of day, nor do the heartwarming stories of Middle Easterners with family ties and businesses in the US. Quick-hit reporting cannot replace deep, personal dives; it simply doesn’t cut it.
One day after reporters’ positions were slashed at The Washington Post, Amazon was celebrating a staggering $200 billion in investment commitments, with Mr. Bezos still seated as executive chair of the board. The Post, one of America’s oldest newspapers, has shifted gears to keep up with the changing media landscape, betting on AI and robotics as part of a long-term strategy—much of it aimed at younger audiences.
To its credit, the Post was an early legacy adopter of TikTok, helping open the door for others to follow. But the format is what it is: short videos—often just a few minutes—designed to captivate and entertain, and too often produced without substance or context.
Chasing Gen Z is understandable—this cohort makes up a large share of the future audience—but not at the cost of challenging them intellectually. That means committing to hard news and smart features, including sustained coverage of the Middle East.
A 2023 Portland State University study on how Gen Z and millennials use public libraries and engage with media suggested real room for outreach. The data indicated that about 50% still read books, and a similar share visited online news sources.
Sure, the business side drives decisions, but critical thinking has to drive them, too—especially given the place The Washington Post holds in American history. Add in the larger deterioration of the press-policy relationship that Washington must sustain, and “economic growth” starts looking like a narrow metric if it ignores civic cost.
No one can credibly call it the leading Washington paper while running without Middle East reporters—or even a dedicated section. Mr. Bezos, you have competition in DC from conservatives and Democrats, and you owe readers more than brand maintenance: you owe them serious coverage that helps them understand the world. You also owe it to the people of Washington—and to everyone who has supported the paper since its founding in 1877.
If the only agenda is money, then the soul of the industry really is lost.
