https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/The-incred...zos-580908

Israeli author views Bezos purchase of the Post as lobbying. Maybe the same reason Amazon chose DC for HQ2.

"Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos did not pay $250 million for the Washington Post because it was a good deal. In his own words, “It is the newspaper in the capital city of the most important country in the world. The Washington Post has an incredibly important role to play in this democracy.”

Clear away the PR euphemisms and the world’s richest man was saying that he bought the Post because it sets the agenda in Washington D.C. and helps determine the outcome of elections.

Bezos isn’t the first tycoon to buy influence by buying an influential paper. The power he wields with the Washington Post is a pale shadow of the Hearst empire. Dot com billionaires keep buying up media white elephants. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is buying Time. The Atlantic is in the hands of Steve Jobs’ widow. The New Republic is being run into the ground by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes....


The Washington Post weaponized allegations of sexual misconduct in political warfare. Bezos whines that his affair, which did happen, was wrongly made public. Meanwhile the Post falsely accused Justice Kavanaugh (among other Republicans) of sexual misconduct that never happened. And it did cover up rape allegations against Justin Fairfax, the Democrat Lt. Governor, which appear to have happened.

This was the “incredibly important role” that the Washington Post played “in this democracy.” And these were the rules by which it played it. Republicans were accused of sexual assault and child abuse, and Republican officials had their private affairs revealed and private emails published. Meanwhile Democrats had their rape accusations buried deep down in the Washington Post’s deepest basement....

Victims don’t own papers that gleefully publish other people’s hacked emails and affairs, but whine when it happens to them. Bezos didn’t just betray his wife, he betrayed every basic principle of ethics. His Medium post and his spin doctors claim the ultimate privilege, that of the abuser from retaliation.

Jeff Bezos thought that the Washington Post’s collusion with Qatar, that the hacks and smears of Republicans, served his economic interests. His greed and megalomania may have cost him $68 billion."