Washington Post will not bring in Robert Winnett as its top editor after report raised ethical questions

CNN
 — 

Robert Winnett, the British journalist who was slated to take over as executive editor of The Washington Post, will no longer join the newspaper.

Washington Post publisher Will Lewis broke the news to newspaper staffers in a memo Friday morning.

“It is with regret that I share with you that Robert Winnett has withdrawn from the position of Editor at The Washington Post. Rob has my greatest respect and is an incredibly talented editor and journalist. The leadership at The Telegraph Media Group are reaffirming his continued role as deputy editor,” Lewis wrote in a memo, a copy of which was obtained by CNN.

“We will immediately launch a new search for Editor of our core coverage. We will soon announce both the recruiting firm and process we will utilize to ensure a timely but thorough search for this important leadership role,” Lewis added. “In the meantime, we are fortunate to have the leadership of Matt Murray who will continue in his role as Executive Editor until after the U.S. elections and also carry forward planning and leading the third newsroom. In parallel, we will continue our Build It efforts on the third.”

Winnett, a deputy editor of the Telegraph, was slated to join The Post following the November election but ethical questions had recently been raised about his work.

In a 3,000-word front page expose this week, The Post reported that Winnett had previously used materials from a self-described “thief” for reporting.

In an email to staff on Friday, Chris Evans, the editor of London’s Telegraph newspaper, notified staffers, “I’m pleased to report that Rob Winnett has decided to stay with us. As you all know, he’s a talented chap and their loss is our gain.”

Spokespersons for the Telegraph and The Washington Post did not immediately comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.