Washington Post sale shocks US capital Reporters at the Washington Post say they were "stunned" and "shocked" after being summoned to hear, just as the daily deadlines were approaching, a surprise 4.30pm announcement that the newspaper was being sold to Jeff Bezos, the Amazon chief executive, for $250m. "I feel as if an old boyfriend - who was maddening but still had a piece of my heart - just got married," one former Post journalist said. But the disbelief spread beyond the Post's storied headquarters a few blocks from the White House, first across the nation's capital where most cannot remember a time when it was not owned by a member of the Graham family, and then to the rest of the media world. It was in 1933 that Eugene Meyer acquired the Post at a bankruptcy sale during the Depression, later handing it on to his son-in-law Phillip Graham. Katharine Graham, his wife, then took it on after her husband's suicide, shepherding the institution as it gained international fame during the 1970s for its investigative work on the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of president Richard Nixon. The Grahams were also known for being the deans of the US capital's social scene over the years, courting the most powerful politicians and policy makers, including the Kennedys and Reagans. Mrs Graham died in 2001, but her son, Donald Graham, has been running the Post and orchestrated the secret talks that led to its sale. "Obviously the Grahams have had a level of influence unmatched in Washington and obviously their decisions and the paper itself have altered the course of history," said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, a prominent think-tank in the US capital close to many Democrats. "On that level this is pretty earth-shattering," she added. The end of the Graham era and the arrival of Mr Bezos will create uncertainty over the direction of the newspaper and whether it will be transformed by the billionaire chief of Amazon. Although the Graham family was wealthy, its interests pale in comparison with Mr Bezos" net worth of $25bn, according to Forbes magazine. Mr Bezos" political leanings are unclear, suggesting that he does not necessarily have the intention of using the Post to further a particular ideology. But he has shown a slightly more Democratic tilt in his campaign donations. Though he has not given any money to presidential candidates over the past two decades, he has donated more money to Democrats than Republicans. Notably, he has backed Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, the two Democratic senators from Washington state. He has also given money to Amazon's "super" political action committee - or super-Pac - which has given to members of both parties. Some say he has a reputation for being a libertarian. Mr Bezos has been a strong advocate for same-sex marriage and the internet sales tax given Amazon's interests in that policy. Mr Bezos has met US President Barack Obama in the past, and just last week the president toured an Amazon plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he presented his latest plan for corporate taxes and infrastructure spending. The White House had no immediate comment on the Post's sale to Mr Bezos, nor did congressional leaders. On Monday, Mr Bezos was at pains to emphasise his respect for the company's editorial record. "Journalism plays a critical role in a free society, and the Washington Post - as the home town paper of the capital city of the United States - is especially important," he told staff. His memo nodded to Washington Post legend, saying that he hoped no one ever threatened to put one of his body parts through a wringer, "but thanks to Mrs Graham's example, I'll be ready." The comment referred to a line in the late publisher's autobiography in which she recalled John Mitchell, the US attorney-general and Nixon campaign manager, reacting to news that the Post's reporters had the story with the words: "Katie Graham's gonna get her tit caught in a big fat wringer if that's published." Analysts said the sale was consistent with a trend for wealthy individuals to buy newspapers from public companies that increasingly struggle to justify their print assets to investors. Mr Bezos's 18.9 per cent stake in Amazon is worth nearly $26bn and he has become a prominent philanthropist. Allen Weiner of Gartner said he saw the Washington Post as "an undervalued asset," adding that Mr Bezos could find a wider reach for its political coverage. He noted, however, that Mr Bezos had started Amazon "in an empty lot," while the Post "is a lot with a lot of history and baggage." The Post also noted on Monday that since 2007 the company has described itself as "an education and media company," with newspapers secondary to the Kaplan education business it bought in 1984. The Graham family has been trying to lessen the company's dependence on publishing for years, and sold Newsweek in 2010 to Sidney Harman, the audio equipment entrepreneur. Newsweek, now without a print edition, was sold this weekend to the publisher of the International Business Times. The Washington Post Company, which in the last year has diversified into areas as eclectic as hospice care and industrial controls, will change its name within 60 days of selling its flagship newspaper.