The Washington Post has announced William Lewis as its new publisher and CEO. Lewis will assume the role effective January 2, 2024, succeeding interim CEO Patty Stonesifer who joined The Post in June 2023.
“The Washington Post is a premier global media publisher of record, known for its 145-year-old history of unflinching journalism, and I am thrilled and humbled to be at its helm as both a media executive and former reporter,” said Lewis. “Leading this bold media brand means building on my commitment to championing high-quality journalism and safeguarding our democratic values, while growing The Post’s business and advancing its impact to the next generation and beyond.”
“Ten years ago, I made a commitment to the future of The Washington Post, inspired by its ambitious and consequential journalism,” said Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post. “Today, I stand confident in that future knowing it is in the hands of Will, an exceptional, tenacious industry executive whose background in fierce, award-winning journalism makes him the right leader at the right time. I also want to thank Patty Stonesifer for stepping in to lead The Post so ably over the past several months.”
Lewis’s decades of media leadership include reporting for and building award-winning newsrooms, expanding key business audiences and demonstrating a strong commitment to press freedom, all while successfully embracing the industry’s defining shift from print to digital with proven, competitive business growth.
Leading at the intersection of media and technology, Lewis is currently the founder, CEO and publisher of The News Movement, a social-first media business providing nonpartisan news to Gen Z, added the publisher.
Prior to The News Movement, Lewis served as CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal from 2014 to 2020, where he led significant growth and digital transformation across platforms. He also served as chief creative officer of News Corp, and group general manager for News Corp in the United Kingdom.
Under his leadership as editor of The Daily Telegraph, in 2010 the newspaper won UK Newspaper of the Year at the British Press Awards. Lewis was recognized as Journalist of the Year at the same awards for the MPs' Expenses Scandal investigation.
Prior to The Telegraph, he served as business editor of The Sunday Times, and before that held a number of roles at The Financial Times including Global News Editor. While he was at the FT as an M&A Reporter, Will broke the story of the Exxon and Mobil merger, then the largest-ever industrial merger. Lewis began his career as a Business Reporter for the Mail on Sunday.
He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard and holds a degree in Politics and Economics from the University of Bristol, a postgraduate Diploma in periodical journalism from City, University of London and three honorary degrees. Lewis serves as vice chair of The Associated Press Board of Directors and is chair of the Tessa Jowell Foundation Advisory Board. Lewis was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2023.
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