Newly named Washington Post editor decides not to take job after backlash

The Washington Post says that Robert Winnett will not take the job after all.

Newly named Washington Post editor Robert Winnett has decided not to take the job and remain in England amid leadership turmoil at the news organization.

The Post's CEO and publisher, Will Lewis, announced Winnett's decision to withdraw in a note to staff on Friday morning. He will stay as deputy editor of the Telegraph in London.

Several published reports had raised questions about Winnett's involvement in articles where a source was paid and information gathered through deceptive means — practices more commonplace in England but frowned upon by journalists in the United States.

As part of a reorganization that has backfired, Lewis had named Winnett, a former colleague, to take over the Post's core newsroom functions after the November election. The Post's former executive editor, Sally Buzbee, had quit rather than accept a demotion.

The search for a new editor will begin immediately, Lewis told the staff.