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Washington Post names AP's Sally Buzbee as executive editor, replacing Marty Baron

11 May 2021
 Dan Ackermann

The Washington Post has named Associated Press executive editor Sally Buzbee as its new executive editor, effective June 1.

Why it matters: Buzbeereplaces legendary editor Marty Baron, who retired at the end of February. She will be the first woman to lead The Post newsroom in the paper's 144-year history.

What they're saying: "Sally Buzbee has an exceptional record of achievement and a tremendous wealth of experience in leading a global news organization," Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan wrote in a memo to staff.

  • “In an extensive search that included many of the best journalists in America, Sally stood out as the right person to lead The Post going forward. She is widely admired for her absolute integrity, boundless energy, and dedication to the essential role journalism plays in safeguarding our democracy.”

Between the lines: While Baron's retirement wasn't a surprise, his departure seemed rather abrupt to media insiders, especially given that The Post hadn't yet hired an editor to replace him.

  • The Post named managing editor Cameron Barr as interim editor in late February, just before Baron stepped aside.

Be smart: Baron's successor has been the subject of intense speculation for months. Sources told Axios that the decision was made by a very tight-knit group of top executives, including The Post's publisher Fred Ryan and its owner Jeff Bezos.

  • Other names that were floated for the role, as Axios had previously reported, include former Post managing editor and ESPN executive Kevin Merida, who was recently named executive editor at the Los Angeles Times, and National Geographic editor in chief Susan Goldberg.

The big picture: Buzbee will be tasked with continuing to grow The Post's reputation for strong, investigative journalism, while also being open to experimentation with new technologies and ideas.

  • She will also need to be able to navigate the Post's newsroom through difficult questions around the role of activism in journalism, especially at a time when news companies are expected do more to address diversity and inclusion.
  • The Post has been able to successfully transition its brand into the digital era under Bezos' ownership and Baron's editorial leadership. Under Baron, The Post launched a major video unit and hired a full-time TikTok reporter. It expanded its tech and business coverage and made new investments in data journalism.

Go deeper:Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post editor Marty Baron retires

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.