Former Washington Post Managing Editor Kevin Merida Visits Headquarters amid Leadership Scrutiny

Former Washington Post managing editor Kevin Merida was spotted visiting the Post’s headquarters and meeting with senior staff on June 5, according to sources familiar with the matter. Merida, who recently resigned as executive editor of the Los Angeles Times, is just one of several Post veterans who have been in contact with the paper as scrutiny of its new leadership intensifies.

Cameron Barr, a former senior managing editor who stepped down last year and has been working as a senior associate editor on contract, is now overseeing the Post’s coverage of new publisher and CEO Will Lewis. Barr’s expanded responsibilities were not formally announced internally, and newsroom employees learned about the changes through NPR media reporter David Folkenflik.

The recent turmoil at the Post has left employees on edge about the future of the iconic newspaper and its leadership. Owner Jeff Bezos had previously remained silent on the upheaval, but in a memo to newsroom leadership, he assured that the journalistic standards and ethics at the Post will remain unchanged.

The drama surrounding Lewis, who has faced criticism for his newsroom restructuring and alleged involvement in a British phone hacking scandal, has taken a toll on employee morale. Newsroom employees fear that the constant headlines about the Post’s leadership are distracting journalists from their work.

Recent reports from the New York Times and NPR have raised questions about Lewis and his incoming newsroom editor, Robert Winnett, using stolen records in their reporting in the 2000s. The Post has conducted its own investigation into Winnett’s journalistic record and the differences in reporting ethics between the U.K. and the U.S.

Overall, the internal frustration over the Lewis controversy is just the latest in a series of challenges the Post has faced in recent years, including declining readership, layoffs, and leadership changes. Lewis, who took over as CEO in January, has outlined a plan to restructure the editorial unit into three newsrooms, but the ongoing turmoil has left employees feeling exhausted and concerned about the future of the paper.