The Washington Post today announced that David Shipley has been named Editorial Page Editor. In this role, he will oversee The Post’s Opinions staff, which includes the Editorial Board, a distinguished roster of columnists and contributors, a skilled team of op-ed editors, a talented group of visual and multi-media storytellers, and the growing digital operations and multi-platform editing teams.
“David possesses the intellectual curiosity, thoughtful independence, journalistic integrity, and even-handed judgment essential in an editorial page editor,” said Fred Ryan, CEO and Publisher, The Washington Post. “David’s leadership will propel The Washington Post forward as we grow our global audience and find new and innovative ways to serve them.”
Shipley will lead a section that has distinguished itself as the premier destination for smart, thought-provoking commentary from a wide range of perspectives. With some of the best-known names in opinion journalism on its staff and contributions from the world’s biggest newsmakers, the Washington Post Opinions section is a unique and highly sought-after place to be published.
Under Shipley’s leadership, Post Opinions will continue to expand its national and international reach, building on recent investments designed to serve readers across the United States and around the world. The Voices Across America vertical, for example, highlights outside-the-Beltway opinions, convening conversations of national importance. Global Opinions, meanwhile, continues to publish some of the highest-profile international perspectives available in the U.S. press, with a particular focus on writers whose voices would be censored or silenced in their home countries.
"The Post is a guiding force in journalism for all the right reasons, balancing tradition and the highest standards with relentless innovation and invention,” Shipley said. “Post Opinions reflects all that, consistently offering insights to help readers make sense of the world. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside the remarkable team that Fred Hiatt built.”
Shipley joins The Post from Bloomberg, where he was a co-founder of the organization’s opinion section and has overseen its growth as senior executive editor. Previously, he was deputy editorial page editor and op-ed editor of the New York Times and executive editor of The New Republic.
Shipley also served as a special assistant to the president and senior speechwriter in the Clinton White House. He began his career at Simon and Schuster working with the legendary Alice Mayhew.
Shipley is a co-author of “SEND: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better.” He graduated from Williams College and was the recipient of a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.
Shipley succeeds the late Fred Hiatt, who led Post Opinions from 2000 to 2021.
Memo to staff from Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan:
Dear Washington Post colleagues,
Several months have passed since the devastating loss of Fred Hiatt, and throughout that period, an extensive search has been underway to identify a leader who can build on Fred’s legacy and the best traditions of Post Opinions while positioning the section for future innovation and success. Today, I’m thrilled to announce that we have found this leader in David Shipley, who will become the next Editorial Page Editor of The Washington Post.
David comes to us from Bloomberg, where he was a co-founder of the organization’s opinion section and has overseen its growth as senior executive editor. Previously, David was deputy editorial page editor and op-ed editor of the New York Times and executive editor of The New Republic. David also served as a special assistant to the president and senior speechwriter in the Clinton White House and began his career at Simon and Schuster working with the legendary Alice Mayhew.
David brings deep experience in serving a sophisticated global readership with up-to-the-minute commentary and analysis. He has a distinguished record of identifying talent and mentoring writers and editors at all stages of their careers. He possesses the intellectual curiosity, thoughtful independence, journalistic integrity, and even-handed judgment essential in an editorial page editor. He is wholly committed to the vision of Post Opinions as a forum for diverse voices offering a wide variety of perspectives. And he embraces the ideals and principles that have always distinguished The Washington Post.
For all of these reasons, David emerged as a standout in an exhaustive search process that involved more than 150 candidates, many of them among the most accomplished journalists in America. The process was global and inclusive, involving men and women of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews. I was impressed by each candidate I spoke with and am grateful for their insights.
One point they all made consistently was that Post Opinions occupies a truly unique space in American journalism, producing some of the best commentary available anywhere in the world. I share their admiration for our Opinions team and its incredible work. I am especially grateful to Ruth Marcus and Karen Tumulty for everything they have done over the past several months to keep the section running, shepherding the Opinions staff through many difficult, and deeply consequential, news cycles to consistently produce the excellent coverage our readers have come to expect. I also appreciate Jackson Diehl’s and Jo-Ann Armao’s willingness to postpone their retirement plans to continue to support the section. And I am deeply thankful to Meghan Kruger and Paul Van Deventer, who helped manage the search process, and to the many members of the staff who took time to meet with me and share their thoughts on the future of Post Opinions.
I am excited as Opinions begins this new chapter under David’s leadership and look forward to the many successes it is sure to bring.
Sincerely,
Fred.