Robert Winnett, the editor selected to run The Washington Post, will not take up that position, after reports raised questions about his ties to unethical news gathering practices in Britain.
Winnett will stay at The Daily Telegraph, where he is the deputy editor, according to emails sent Friday to employees of the London-based newspaper and to staff at the Post.
“I’m pleased to report that Rob Winnett has decided to stay with us,” read a message to Telegraph employees from the newspaper’s top editor, Chris Evans. “As you all know, he’s a talented chap and their loss is our gain.”
Will Lewis, the CEO of the Post, confirmed the news in an email to staff.
“It is with regret that I share with you that Robert Winnett has withdrawn from the position of editor at The Washington Post,” Lewis wrote. “Rob has my greatest respect and is an incredibly talented editor and journalist.” He said that the Post would run a search to fill that role.
Winnett did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
Winnett earned a reputation as an unassuming newshound whose relentless pursuit of scoops earned him the nickname “Rat Boy.” But his appointment to the top editing job at the Post was jeopardized by recent reports in The New York Times and The Washington Post that detailed his connection to a private investigator who acknowledged using unethical means to obtain information.
The connection, revealed first by the Times and confirmed by the Post, raised alarm bells among Washington Post journalists, many of whom privately said they believed he was an unworthy candidate to run one of America’s preeminent newsrooms.
Winnett had been expected to take over as the Post’s editor after the U.S. presidential election in November. Matt Murray, the former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is slated to replace Sally Buzbee, the Post’s previous top editor, in an interim role until then.
The decision by Winnett to step aside is a major setback for Lewis, who hired the British editor in a shake-up of the Post’s editorial ranks. Buzbee resigned after Lewis undertook a dramatic reorganization of the newspaper that would have sidelined her.
Lewis has also come under fire in recent days after the Times reported that he clashed with Buzbee over a decision to cover a court development mentioning him in a phone hacking case. (Lewis has denied pressuring Buzbee.) The next day, an NPR reporter said Lewis had promised him an exclusive interview in exchange for ignoring a story about phone hacking. In response, Lewis called that reporter an “activist” and acknowledged having an off-the-record conversation with him.
Still more revelations came to light about Lewis and Winnett. Last week, the Times reported that Lewis and Winnett were said to have used fraudulently obtained records in news articles at the Sunday Times newspaper in London. The next day, the Post followed up with a 3,000-word investigation into Winnett that traced his ties to John Ford, a private investigator who acknowledged using unethical methods to obtain big exclusives.
With Winnett no longer joining the Post, it remains to be seen who will lead the newsroom on a permanent basis. The Post has typically conducted a lengthy search to fill its top editor position, culminating with an interview with the Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, and its CEO. The appointment of Winnett was somewhat unconventional by Post standards: Lewis initially told Buzbee she could help pick her co-editor, then informed her that Winnett would be joining the Post.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
