Bezos picks Politico co-founder as new Washington Post publisher

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Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos named Frederick J. Ryan Jr. as the publication's new publisher, turning to the founding chief executive of Web-savvy Politico to lead one of the nation's premier news organizations.

Ryan will take over Oct. 1 for Katharine Weymouth, ending more than eight decades of leadership of the paper by the Graham family. Weymouth, who has been publisher since 2008, is the granddaughter of legendary former Post publisher Katharine Graham. Ryan, who began his career as a lawyer in Los Angeles, served on the White House staff of President Reagan and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Ryan joined Allbritton Communications Co. in 1995 and was a key player when the media company launched Politico in 2007. He was the chief executive and president of Politico, as well as chief operating officer of Allbritton, until stepping down in September.


Bezos picks Politico co-founder as new Washington Post publisher