Washington Post begins widespread layoffs, sharply shrinking paper’s reach

The Washington Post began widespread layoffs on Wednesday, February 4, that will drastically shrink the size of the storied newspaper, affecting all departments, according to a recording of the call shared with Reuters.

Executive editor Matt Murray informed the staff of the cuts, which will cut across the international, editing, metro, and sports desks, and come just days after the more than 145-year-old newspaper scaled back its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics amid mounting financial losses.

“For too long, we’ve operated with a structure that’s too rooted in the days when we were a quasi-monopoly local newspaper,” Murray said on the call, adding that “we need a new way forward and a sounder foundation.”

One Post reporter, speaking on condition of anonymity, called it a “bloodbath.”

The impacted journalists include Amazon beat reporter Caroline O’Donovan, Cairo Bureau Chief Claire Parker and the rest of the Post’s Middle East correspondents and editors, according to X posts from Donovan and Parker.

“The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company,” the Post said in a statement.

“These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers.”

All department impacted

News outlets have struggled for years to maintain a sustainable business model after the internet upended the economics of journalism.

“All departments are impacted. Politics and government will remain our largest desk and will remain central to our engagement and subscriber growth,” Murray said in the call. “We will be closing the sports department in its current form.”

The Washington Post last year made changes across several business functions and announced job cuts, saying then that the reductions would not impact its newsroom. The newspaper, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, had offered voluntary separation packages to employees across all functions in 2023 amid losses of $100 million.

“If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission that has defined this paper for generations and serve the millions who depend on Post journalism, then The Post deserves a steward that will,” the WaPo Guild said on X.

The Post’s White House staff said in a letter to Bezos last week that their most impactful coverage depends heavily on collaboration with teams at risk of job cuts and that a diversified newsroom is essential when the paper faces financial challenges.

Bezos said in 2013 when he bought the newspaper that he would preserve its journalistic tradition and would not lead its day-to-day operations. But there “will, of course, be change” over the coming years, he had said.

Clashes with journalists

In recent years, The Post has clashed with some of its journalists, who have openly criticized Bezos after the newspaper decided not to endorse a candidate in the November 2024 US presidential election, leading to more than 200,000 people canceling their digital subscriptions.

The newspaper, which appointed William Lewis as its CEO in early 2024, also revamped its opinion section last year, shifting focus on “personal liberties and free markets.”

Bezos was among the several tech executives seen as making overtures to US President Donald Trump last year. He was seated prominently at Trump’s inauguration, underscoring his shifting ties.

Trump, who was a frequent critic of Bezos during his first term – over what the Republican president deemed unfair coverage by The Post – praised the tech billionaire in March last year, saying Bezos was doing “a real job” with the publication.

“Today’s layoffs at the Washington Post are a devastating setback for the scores of individual journalists affected and for the journalism profession,” said National Press Club president Mark Schoeff Jr., in a statement. – Rappler.com