The Washington Post’s opinion editor, David Shipley, is exiting as the newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, said the section’s focus would narrow to defend “personal liberties and free markets.”

“I am of America and for America, and proud to be so,” Mr. Bezos said. “Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical; it drives creativity, invention and prosperity.”

In his note, Mr. Bezos said that he asked Mr. Shipley whether he wanted to stay at The Post, and Mr. Shipley declined.

“I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t ‘hell yes,’ then it had to be ‘no,’” Mr. Bezos wrote.

In a note to opinion staff members, Mr. Shipley said that he decided to step down “after reflection on how I can best move forward in the profession I love.”

“I will always be thankful for the opportunity I was given to work alongside a team of opinion journalists whose commitment to strong, innovative, reported commentary inspired me every day,” Mr. Shipley wrote.

The new direction envisioned for The Post’s opinion section appears to be a rightward shift for the paper. Mr. Bezos’s new focus echoes what has long been the informal tagline of The Wall Street Journal’s conservative opinion pages: “Free markets, free people.”

Will Lewis, The Post’s chief executive, said in a memo to staff that changes to the opinion section were “not about siding with any political party.”

“This is about being crystal clear about what we stand for as a newspaper,” Mr. Lewis wrote. “Doing this is a critical part of serving as a premier news publication across America and for all Americans.”

In his note, Mr. Lewis said that The Post would be naming a replacement for Mr. Shipley and that he would make arrangements for an interim editor.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.