New throughout, adds details and comments from publisher

By Helen Coster and Jaspreet Singh

NEW YORK, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Washington Post editorial page editor David Shipley is leaving the paper as its opinion section shifts its focus to supporting and defending the topics of personal liberties and free markets, owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wrote in a memo to staff on Wednesday.

The section will cover other topics too, but will not publish viewpoints that oppose those two pillars, Bezos wrote. Shipley declined Bezos’ offer to stay on, Bezos wrote.

The move – which reflects the Post's narrowing of focus from a general-interest opinion section that reflected a wide swath of views – follows the paper’s decision in October to stop its decades-long practice of endorsing presidential candidates.

In his memo to staff on Wednesday, Bezos framed the shift in both ideological and practical terms, writing that these viewpoints are underserved in the market.

“I am of America and for America, and proud to be so,” Bezos wrote. “Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else.”

The changes were defended by CEO and publisher William Lewis, who joined the newspaper in early 2024 after working for outlets controlled by Rupert Murdoch.

"This is not about siding with any political party. This is about being crystal clear about what we stand for as a newspaper," Lewis wrote in a memo to staff that was seen by Reuters.

Bezos is among the several tech executives seen as making overtures to President Donald Trump in recent months. He was prominently seated during Trump's inauguration, underscoring his shifting ties with the president.

The growing closeness has, however, irked some Post subscribers.

The newspaper lost more than 200,000 digital subscriptions after its move not to endorse a presidential candidate. That decision also led three members of The Post's editorial board to resign in protest, according to a report in the newspaper.

"Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post's opinion section today - makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there," the newspaper's White House economics reporter Jeff Stein said in a post on X.

The Post’s opinion section is separate from its news-gathering division, which focuses on fact-based reporting.

(Reporting by Helen Coster and Jaspreet Singh; Editing by Rod Nickel and David Gregorio)

((helen.coster@thomsonreuters.com;))