Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan To Step Down
Fred Ryan, the publisher and CEO of The Washington Post for the past nine years, is stepping down.
Ryan announced to the staff that he is going to lead the Center on Public Civility for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Post, said that Patty Stonesifer, a director of Amazon since 1997, will join the Post as interim CEO. Ryan will remain as publisher through Aug. 1 to provide a transition period.
“Patty has built and led great organizations,” Bezos wrote in a memo to staffers. “You’ll soon see for yourself why admire her. Her skills, judgement and character all stand out.” Bezos wrote that Stonesifer will help him identify the next publisher/CEO “who will take the Post forward into the next decade.”
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In his memo to the staff, Ryan said that the Post during his tenure “have accomplished one of the most extraordinary transformations in modern media history. We have evolved from a primarily local print newspaper to become a global digital publication.”
Ryan led the Post’s response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pressing the Trump and Biden administrations to hold Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible.
He’s also leaving at a time of headwinds in print and digital journalism. Late last year, Ryan announced layoffs, and faced some pointed questions from newsroom employees to provide more specifics. Among other things, the Post cut its Sunday magazine and some other sections.
But Ryan overall presided over a period of growth at the Post, as its newsroom nearly doubled in size, according to the publication.
A former chief of staff to Reagan after he left the White House, Ryan has served as chairman of the Reagan foundation. He said that Bezos is providing support for the planning and design phase of the Center on Public Civility.
“I feel a strong sense of urgency in my next steps to address the decline in civility and respectful dialogue in our political process,” Ryan said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the new Center on Public Civility which will play an important role in support of our democracy.”
Stonesifer, founding CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and more recently the CEO of D.C. nonprofit Martha’s Table, said, “I have had the privilege over my career of leading great organizations with a laser focus on serving their mission and their communities. I have both respect and passion for the mission and the journalism of The Washington Post – one of the greatest newsrooms in the world – and I am delighted to join this team in supporting the values and sustaining the work of this important institution.”
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