Feb 10, 2026 3 min read white-washing

Editorial: Is WaPo Continuing to Scrub African American Faces?

Is white-washing taking place at The Washington Post? "Rally to support journalists fired by The Washington Post in February 2026." Wikimedia Commons.

You may recall that in a recent editorial (below), we called out Jeff Bezos's Washington Post for possibly "scrubbing African American faces" from its Metro section following the 2024 Election. In that same year Bezos installed as Post CEO Rupert Murdoch-friendly editor Will Lewis – formerly publisher of the Wall Street Journal:

Now, of course, Lewis has left the Post – one of the best news publications in the world prior to his arrival and multi-billionaire Bezos's acquisition of the heralded daily in 2013.

According to the BBC, Lewis stepped down days after the Post announced mass lay-offs in the newsroom and the elimination of multiple sections. "William Lewis said in a message to staff it was the right time to leave and that 'difficult decisions' had been made to ensure the paper's future. The newspaper had announced on Wednesday it was cutting a third of its workforce, dramatically scaling back its coverage of sport and international news. The decision was condemned by many journalists and prompted criticism of the Post's billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos. Executive editor Matt Murray said the cuts would bring 'stability.' "

Lewis's tenure was rocky and he had, "faced criticism from subscribers and employees as he tried to reverse financial losses at the daily," BBC reported. Many of the Post's best reporters had also fled the Post or accepted buyouts already.

How Has the Post Covered African Americans in The Metro Section Since Our Editorial?

Now, apparently, the Post Metro section is on the chopping block as well.

So, before the section devoted to covering District and local affairs disappears entirely, we decided to continue tabulating how many African American faces were included in each day's Post Metro section from Jan. 1, 2026 to today (Feb. 10, 2026). And, we observed a considerable amount of "white-washing."

In the 41 days surveyed, we counted 10 Metro sections with no Black faces shown (excluding Obituary photographs), for a "white-washing rate" of 24 percent. These dates were: Jan. 3, 6, 11, 16, 22, 18, and 26, as well as, Feb. 2, and 6. In other words, the rate of "white-washing" has remained approximately constant, at 24 percent, or as we said last time, "every fourth day."

Is such exclusion and lack of racial diversity acceptable for Washington D.C.'s paper of record – in a city with a 40 percent Black population (based on recent Census data), and historically known as Chocolate City?

Wake up, readers.

Jeff Bezos – owner of The Washington Post and currently the third wealthiest man in the world, with a net worth "hovering around" a quarter-trillion dollars, according to Forbes – appears to be joining the Trump administration's apparent efforts to erase Black history.

Bezos Had Nothing to Say?

After all, Bezos had nothing of note to say when President Trump posted late at night on Saturday, Feb. 7, a patently racist meme of former U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as primates.

Are Bezos and Trump racists?

Please ask yourselves, "At this point, how are they not?"

For an earlier editorial we published on Bezos's "Cowardice," see below: