Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post’s longtime lead fact-checker, announced Monday he had taken a buyout, becoming the latest in a slew of the outlet’s top journalists to leave in recent months.
“Much as I would have liked to keep scrutinizing politicians in Washington, especially in this era, the financial considerations were impossible to dismiss,” Kessler wrote on social media reviewing his more than 20 years at the Post, including 15 as its lead fact-checker.
The Post has not indicated any plans to replace him, Kessler wrote, and a representative for the outlet did not respond to an inquiry about its plans to hire a new head of fact-checking.
Kessler estimated he has written or edited some 3,000 fact checks, some of which have taken heavy criticism, particularly on the right and among supporters of President Trump.
His fact checks were often accompanied by a numerical assessment of “Pinocchios,” laying out the severity of a dubious claim coming from a politician, media personality or public figure.
“I had my detractors, from both the left and right, but many readers appreciated my efforts to sort out the truth in political rhetoric,” he wrote.
Kessler’s departure comes at a time of major change for the Post, which last year hired a new top editor and has seen billionaire owner Jeff Bezos make tweaks to its struggling business and opinion pages.
The newspaper experienced a mass exodus of subscribers last fall over a decision not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election and has seen several of its top journalists and columnists opt for buyouts as part of the outlet’s restructuring.
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