Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos told a group of editors and reporters on Thursday that Amazon MGM Studio’s decision to acquire “Melania,” a documentary on First Lady Melania Trump, was a financial move and not an attempt to win favor with President Donald Trump, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Amazon spent $75 million to acquire and market the documentary, which hit theaters in late January, just ahead of the Post slashing its newsroom, shuttering several departments and laying off more than 300 journalists. The film grossed $16.7 million at the box office. Bezos said he was not personally involved in the “Melania” negotiations.
The discussion of the documentary — first reported by Status — was just one facet of a four-hour gathering at Bezos’ home in Washington D.C.’s tiny Kalorama neighborhood, according to sources. The Post owner brought together around 30 editors and reporters to dive deep into the paper’s financial records in an effort to provide insight into management’s decisions and discuss how to move forward.
Jeffrey D’Onofrio, the Post’s acting CEO, led the morning session on the paper’s financials; executive editor Matt Murray led an afternoon session on how the newsroom will use data. In between was lunch, during which Bezos stood up at a long table and fielded questions for roughly 90 minutes.
One Post staffer asked Bezos why he wanted to own the Post. Bezos said he considers the Post an important institution worth saving. He said family members and friends have also asked whether he’d sell the paper, and he mentioned having turned away seven offers, as the New York Times first reported.
But Bezos reaffirmed his commitment to owning the paper, saying at one point, “I’m stubborn.”
“Our owner has been clear that he believes in the power of The Washington Post and that it is an important institution,” a Post spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement. “Yesterday’s meeting was the latest example of his commitment.”
During lunch, Bezos spoke about how the Post’s reporters continue to hold power to account, whether in covering the White House or himself. He nodded to Murray, who concurred.
The owner dismissed speculation that he was involved in decisions about specific reporter layoffs, saying Murray was responsible for overseeing those newsroom calls. Bezos also said he never interfered in the Post’s reporting, which former executive editor Marty Baron would attest to.
Baron has praised Bezos for respecting editorial independence, though he questioned the owner’s commitment last month following the mass layoffs, calling it one of “the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.”
Bezos acknowledged Baron’s more recent criticism of him following the cuts, though he approvingly recalled Baron’s newsroom mantra from Trump’s first term: “We’re not at war. We’re at work.”
