Should They Stay or Go? Veteran Journalists Face Tough Choices in the Trump Age

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The exodus at the Washington Post, L.A. Times and anticipated reckoning at CBS News raise questions of what to do when your news organization loses its way
For top journalists at elite news organizations, a song by The Clash perhaps best describes their ethical dilemma: Should I stay or should I go?
Faced with buyouts, layoffs and policy shifts in the age of a vengeful and litigious President Trump, journalists at the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and CBS News have grappled with whether to stick around and fight the good fight — or leave. At the Post there's already been a mass defection that has included taking buyouts before moving to more stalwart outfits, leaping into the entrepreneurial reaches of Substack — or handing in principled resignations.
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Those exiting the Post in the last few weeks include reporter Carol Leonnig, a 25-year veteran who headed to MSNBC; media critic Erik Wemple, who will join the New York Times in the fall; and sports columnist Sally Jenkins, joining a veritable parade to The Atlantic.
Politico published an exhaustive list of the journalists that have left the publication since 2024, which have ranged from retirement to taking the buyout and moving to competitors to cartoonist Ann Telnaes, who resigned after her bosses spiked a cartoon that lampooned Post owner Jeff Bezos, among others (Telnaes would later win the Pulitizer Prize).
If resignations once delivered a reputational blow to their corporate bosses, it's complicated now by the sense that some of these organizations appear eager to clean house, or at least remake their staffs with employees who are more pliant toward their Trump-friendly editorial postures.
This new status quo comes as CBS News faces an anticipated shift in editorial direction under New Paramount, having already seen the departures of president Wendy McMahon and '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens over perceived interference by former management.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, has witnessed a staggering exodus of talent after CEO Will Lewis issued an 'our way or the highway' ultimatum amid the paper's pivot under Bezos, encouraging staffers who don't 'feel aligned' with the newspaper's 'reinvention' to hit the road.
In May, the paper offered a Voluntary Separation Program to news employees with 10 or more years experience, resulting in a series of farewell letters from some of its most prestigious names. The opinion section has been especially hard hit, including opinion columnists Catherine Rampell, Jonathan Capehart, Philip Bump and Ruth Marcus.
Writing in the Daily Beast, former Post media reporter Paul Farhi accused Lewis of 'enfeebling of one of the world's great news organizations' — 'a small tragedy,' raising questions about whether Bezos cares about 'the slow-motion implosion of an institution whose value transcends its bottom line.'
While it might sound self-serving for journalists to lament the decimation of their ranks — creating 'news deserts' in some areas, and prompting some to vacate the profession entirely — there is a societal toll involved. That includes questions of who will hold those in power to account, as even outlets that survive suffer the loss of institutional knowledge as they shed more expensive veterans, whether their work comes in the form of deeply sourced reporting or detailed analysis.
Another billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, also implemented a shift in editorial policy at the Los Angeles Times, leading several editorial page staffers to resign. Again, though, the impact has been blunted by overall reductions as the paper pursues the dubious strategy of cost-cutting its way to health.
The ethical dilemma: Stay and fight or leave?
Those schooled in journalistic ethics say there's no one-size-fits-all response in terms of what to do when your employer has lost its way or taken actions that threaten its integrity.
John Watson, a journalism professor at American University's School of Communication who teaches ethics, cited a 'personal and individually determined process,' while making a distinction between those who really need a job and top earners who don't have to live paycheck to paycheck.
For the latter, 'It becomes more of a moral and ethical issue,' Watson told TheWrap, 'Bailing out at that level, to me, is the right thing to do.'
Several L.A. Times editors resigned last year, including editorials editors Mariel Garza, Robert Greene and Karin Klein, after management spiked a story endorsing Kamala Harris. Across the country, the amount of institutional knowledge exiting the Washington Post has created the impression of a hollowed-out newsroom, even if those who remain dismiss the notion.
Stephen J. Adler, the director of the Ethics and Journalism Initiative at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, also sees an obligation to leave under such circumstances, although not without exhausting options that include lobbying for more enlightened policy and practices.
'I'd never stay at any organization that compromised my work, whether by editing out information that might be offensive to the administration or by barring sensitive story topics,' Adler, who also chairs the steering committee of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, told TheWrap.
'Before deciding to leave, though, I'd try to persuade my immediate editors that I'm being fair and accurate and that they shouldn't engage in self-censorship,' he said. 'I might also appeal to higher-ups. But, even in a tough job market, my duty to the highest aspirations of my profession — to truth-telling – would force me to quit if I didn't prevail.'
Watson drew a distinction between influencers and others who use media platforms, without adhering to the ethical considerations that should guide journalists.
'To me, that is what separates journalists from other people who function in a mass media capacity,' he said. 'Ethics tells you what your mission is, what your role is, and what your professional values have to be, and whether you can compromise them, or how much you can bend them to achieve your fundamental mission.'
He added that journalists have to be wary of whether the actions of their employers will stick with them when they leave and seek jobs elsewhere, citing what he sees as some of the unethical behavior at Fox News, which, in the highest-profile example of that, was forced to pay $787 million in 2023 to settle Dominion's defamation lawsuit over false claims regarding the 2020 election.
'I've had that discussion with a number of good students who are good journalists, who said, 'Will my time at Fox hurt me when I apply to these other news organizations?' And the simple fact is, yes, it will,' Watson said.
Washington Post veterans lament its drift
Many Post veterans and alumni have expressed sadness over the paper's direction and the diminution of its staff, especially after Bezos initially invested in the paper and appeared to champion its journalism.
Since then, Bezos conspicuously joined other tech leaders in attending Donald Trump's inauguration and seemingly cozied up to the president, in ways that have rendered his decisions regarding the Post suspect.
In a lengthy Substack post, former Post fact checker Glenn Kessler detailed his decision to take the buyout, revealing a conversation with Lewis in which he expressed a desire to try to reach Fox News viewers, a futile endeavor that has bedeviled mainstream news outlets seeking to expand their reach. For starters, such efforts are hindered by the fact Fox's top hosts spend much of its time telling its audience not to trust those outside sources, a posture the late radio titan Rush Limbaugh effectively pioneered.
Kessler described the Post as 'like being on the Titanic after it struck an iceberg — drifting aimlessly as it sank, with not enough lifeboats for everyone.'
Asked to address the impact of the buyouts, a Post spokesperson issued a statement to TheWrap that suggested they were not affecting coverage: 'The Washington Post is continuing its transformation to meet the needs of the rapidly changing industry, build a more sustainable future and reach audiences where they are … As we undergo this significant reinvention, The Post continues to excel in producing high quality and impactful journalism.'
If the Post is in the midst of what looks like an identity crisis, rough waters for CBS News could also lie ahead. Among other things, the New Paramount leadership team has agreed to appoint an ombudsman to examine 'any complaints of bias or other concerns' involving the news division, a concession to accusations of harboring a liberal agenda from Trump and other Republicans. Paramount CEO David Ellison has also reportedly held discussions to acquire the right-of-center digital site The Free Press, potentially giving its co-founder, Bari Weiss, a role at CBS News.
In a letter to employees upon closing the merger, Ellison addressed the news division, saying, 'We take immense pride in CBS News' legacy of impactful journalism and look forward to continuing to foster a newsroom culture where journalists are empowered, trusted and equipped to do their best work.' During a meeting with reporters Thursday, Ellison also said he had 'no interest' in politicizing the news, but based on Trump's role in the approval process, the test of that commitment will come in the days and months ahead.
In a dismal business climate for journalists, adopting a principled stand becomes especially challenging. Yet as these hallowed news organizations take on water, to use Kessler's analogy, more journalists will face tough choices regarding when it's time to start paddling or, barring that, jump overboard.
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