I THINK I KNOW WHY THE WAPO CHANGED STORIES

Moon of Alabama reports that in 2009, the WaPo reported that the CIA's interrogation and torture of Abu Zubaida was a FAIL:

...not a single significant plot was foiled as a result of Abu Zubaida's tortured confessions, according to former senior government officials who closely followed the interrogations. Nearly all of the leads attained through the harsh measures quickly evaporated, while most of the useful information from Abu Zubaida -- chiefly names of al-Qaeda members and associates -- was obtained before waterboarding was introduced, they said.

In 2014, the WaPo decided that torture worked great on Zubaida and I suspect it's because the American Intelligence Establishment, especially the NSA, has been under attack for violating Constitutional protections on privacy.