Washington Post CEO Will Lewis apologized to staff in a newsroom memo Friday night, acknowledging that he needed to be more transparent with his staff after back-to-back reports showed he attempted to remove stories related to his alleged role in covering up a scandal. phone hacking in the UK.
โIt's time for me to have some humility,โ Lewis wrote to employees in a memo obtained by The Daily Beast. "I need to improve my listening and communication so that we can all more clearly agree on where urgent improvements are needed and why."
Lewis did not explicitly address legal claims of his alleged role in the Murdoch empire's phone-hacking cover-up, but noted how "trust has been lost due to the scars of the past and the comings and goings of this week."
"Let's leave them behind and start assuming the best intentions," he wrote. "If we do that, they'll see where we're going from a different perspective."
His memo came a day after a torrent of reports, including those from The daily beast and the Mail itself, showed the staff was reeling after Lewis reportedly tried to squash stories in the Mail and NPR on the UK case. Lewis offered a mild mea culpa to the newsroom, offering them the opportunity to grill him on anything during their โSay Itโ sessions next week.
"We've sent out invitations to Say It sessions next week to discuss the Third Newsroom," Lewis wrote, "so you can answer any questions you have about that or anything else that's on your mind."
A copy of the memo sent to Washington Post staff.
Corbin Bolies
A copy of the memo sent to Washington Post staff.
Corbin Bolies
Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Register now.
Stay informed and get unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
