After four decades of being a columnist for The Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize nominated reporter Ruth Marcus resigned from her job after CEO and Publisher Will Lewis chose not to run her story criticizing Jeff Bezos’s new editorial policy. Bezos, the founder and executive of Amazon, who has owned The Washington Post since 2013, recently appointed Lewis to his new position, and Marcus, who has worked for the newspaper since 1984, is not the first journalist to leave her job since the switch.

The sea of successful journalists, not just from The Washington Post, who have been fired or resigned from their jobs in the past few months is disappointing to watch and could have devastating consequences: Journalism is losing its integrity with each reporter falling victim to political censorship and polarization.

While layoffs signal the financial instability plaguing the industry, they don’t tell the whole story. Increasingly, journalists are leaving voluntarily, disillusioned by the political interference and editorial constraints that prioritize profit and political expediency over truth.

In an email to the newspaper staff explaining his new policy, Bezos stated that “[The Washington Post] is going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets…viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”

Opinion Editor David Shipley resigned following the policy change, with Marcus not far behind. Additionally, President Donald Trump signed an executive order dismantling Voice of America, an international broadcasting state media network funded by the U.S. federal government, and has made accusations against the largest international broadcaster spreading “radical propaganda.” As a result, more than 1,300 of their employees have been placed on administrative leave, and 500 contractors have been terminated from their jobs, according to CBS News.

We are in an era where disinformation runs rampant, and when the journalists leave, we lose our connection to the truth. In a time when misinformation spreads faster than facts, reliable journalism is our last defense. But as credible reporters walk away, sensationalism, propaganda and conspiracy-laden clickbait take over. Fewer reporters mean fewer fact-checkers and more unchecked power. When government-backed outlets become partisan megaphones, the public is fed propaganda dressed as news. When billionaire-owned media silences dissenting voices, the press becomes an instrument of influence rather than a beacon of truth.

With Trump loyalists gutting editorial oversight, the industry’s credibility has been shattered. The journalists who quit did so because they refused to promote politically curated narratives, but their departure leaves a dangerous void. Without experienced reporters, media outlets risk becoming nothing more than a glorified press release machine that delivers partisan soundbites under the guise of objective reporting.

Now, media outlets are prioritizing profit-driven ideology over journalistic integrity, and the public is beginning to see the press as just another arm of corporate influence — and they’re not wrong. When newsrooms turn into just another platform for billionaires’ opinions rather than guardians of public interest, it fuels widespread distrust.

As a country, we must ensure that the information we receive is credible, and that we are supporting the few remaining news outlets that are committed to spreading the truth, rather than falling victim to partisanship, censorship and clickbait.