It's probably not a good sign when a newspaper publisher declines to comment in an investigative story on the front page of his own publication. Such is the state of affairs at the Washington Post, where publisher Will Lewis—along with incoming editor and fellow Brit Robert Winnett—is embroiled in a deepening scandal about shady journalism practices in the UK. Coverage:
- In the Post: Its investigation raises ethical questions about Winnett, a Lewis protege who's supposed to become the newspaper's top editor later this year. The lengthy story links Lewis to a man who has acknowledged using dishonest means to obtain info used by Winnett in stories.
- No comment: Winnett, currently a deputy editor for the UK Telegraph, declined to comment to the reporters he's expected soon to be leading. Lewis, the current publisher, also demurred, resulting in what Axios describes as this "surprising sentence" in the piece: "Lewis declined to comment through a Post spokesperson in response to a list of detailed questions, including about the origins of the information for the 2004 stories."