The public is being poorly served by the Post's decision. The ombudsman's job is important because it implicitly signals that a major news organization recognizes its power and wants to construct an internal check on the exercise of that power.

What role should public editors play in today's newsrooms? Are they asking the right questions? What are they doing for readers and the news organizat...

The Post's internal policies set a high threshold for granting anonymity. It "should not be done casually or automatically." Further, "merely asking s...

The Washington Post's ill-fated plan to sell sponsorships of off-the-record "salons" was an ethical lapse of monumental proportions. ...

The mission of the ombudsperson is to watch the standards and performance of your publication, with an eye to keeping it scrupulously top-notch as a service to your readers. That's a service that shouldn't be outsourced for free to random people on the internet.