Jen Rubin leaves Washington Post, joins Norm Eisen to launch ‘authoritarian threat’ outlet

Jennifer Rubin, a veteran opinion columnist, is joining a lengthy line of prominent figures who have left the struggling Washington Post, as Just The News reported.

The Contrarian is a new startup journal that Rubin is creating in partnership with Norm Eisen, who was the White House's ethics czar.

The business's slogan, "Not owned by anybody," is a jab at the wealthy individuals who, according to Rubin, have "bent the knee" to Trump, including billionaire Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post.

“Our goal is to combat, with every fiber of our being, the authoritarian threat that we face,” Rubin told CNN in an interview ahead of the publication’s introduction.

The New Paper

The Contrarian is the latest addition to the ever-expanding family of newspapers powered by the Substack newsletter platform. Others in this family include Zeteo and The Bulwark.

It will begin publishing some content for free on Monday, but full access to essays, podcasts, and videos will cost $7 per month.

Eisen, a familiar face on cable news who is stepping down as a legal expert for CNN, will take on the role of publisher. Taking over as editor-in-chief is Rubin.

As a news personality with 14 years under her belt at the Post’s opinion section, Rubin said she resigned because “the Post, along with most mainstream news outlets, has failed spectacularly at a moment that we most need a robust, aggressive free press. I fear that things are going from bad to worse at The Post."

More Criticism

In October, Bezos blocked the editorial board's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, and Amazon, which Bezos created, donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, among other scandals listed by Rubin.

According to her, the Post's recent rejection of a satirical cartoon depicting Bezos and others on bended knee by Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes was a significant element in her departure. Therefore, Telnaes decided to step down.

According to an internal letter published last Friday by The Post's opinion editor David Shipley, who justified the decision to remove the cartoon by stating that other columns in the Post had already made references to Bezos and Trump, and that "yet another piece in the span of a few days struck me as overkill," the decision was a "sound editorial decision."

The Post's opinion and newsroom sections have actually given Bezos extensive coverage.

Other Voices

Staff morale has taken a hit as prominent figures from both departments have left in the last several months, echoing Rubin's worries about the Post and its independence.

Rubin claimed that her group's moniker, The Contrarian, meant "we're not going with the herd," referring to the wealthy individuals who had tried to "curry favor" with the incoming president.

She assured them that they might anticipate "reported opinion and commentary" regarding political news, as well as cultural pieces that may pique the interest of those who aren't particularly political.

Former New Yorker staffer and current Substack resident and humorist Andy Borowitz will contribute.