The Washington Put up started widespread layoffs on Wednesday that can drastically shrink the dimensions of the storied newspaper, affecting all departments.
Govt Editor Matt Murray knowledgeable the employees of the cuts, which is able to happen throughout the worldwide, modifying, metro, and sports activities desks, and are available simply days after the greater than 145-year-old newspaper scaled again its protection of the 2026 Winter Olympics amid mounting monetary losses.
“For too lengthy, we’ve operated with a construction that’s too rooted within the days once we have been a quasi-monopoly native newspaper,” Murray mentioned on the decision, including that “we’d like a brand new manner ahead and a sounder basis.”
One Put up reporter, talking on situation of anonymity, known as it a “massacre.”
The impacted journalists embody Amazon beat reporter Caroline O’Donovan, Cairo Bureau Chief Claire Parker and the remainder of The Put up’s Center East correspondents and editors, in accordance with X posts from O’Donovan and Parker.
“The Washington Put up is taking a number of tough however decisive actions right now for our future, in what quantities to a big restructuring throughout the corporate,” the Put up mentioned in an announcement.
“These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our concentrate on delivering the distinctive journalism that units The Put up aside and, most significantly, engages our clients.”
All departments impacted
Information retailers have struggled for years to keep up a sustainable enterprise mannequin after the web upended the economics of journalism.
“All departments are impacted. Politics and authorities will stay our largest desk and can stay central to our engagement and subscriber development,” Murray mentioned within the name. “We shall be closing the sports activities division in its present type.”
The Washington Put up final 12 months made modifications throughout a number of enterprise capabilities and introduced job cuts, saying then that the reductions wouldn’t affect its newsroom.
The newspaper, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had provided voluntary separation packages to staff throughout all capabilities in 2023 amid losses of $100 million.
“If Jeff Bezos is now not keen to spend money on the mission that has outlined this paper for generations and serve the hundreds of thousands who depend upon Put up journalism, then The Put up deserves a steward that can,” the WaPo Guild mentioned on X.
The Put up’s White Home employees mentioned in a letter to Bezos final week that their most impactful protection relies upon closely on collaboration with groups liable to job cuts and {that a} diversified newsroom is important when the paper faces monetary challenges.
Bezos mentioned in 2013 when he purchased the newspaper that he would protect its journalistic custom and wouldn’t lead its day-to-day operations. However there “will, in fact, be change” over the approaching years, he had mentioned.
Clashes with journalists
Lately, The Put up has clashed with a few of its journalists, who’ve overtly criticised Bezos after the newspaper determined to not endorse a candidate within the November 2024 US presidential election, resulting in greater than 200,000 individuals cancelling their digital subscriptions.
The newspaper, which appointed William Lewis as its CEO in early 2024, additionally revamped its opinion part final 12 months, shifting focus to “private liberties and free markets”.
Bezos was among the many a number of tech executives seen as making overtures to US President Donald Trump final 12 months. He was seated prominently at Trump’s inauguration, underscoring his shifting ties.
Trump, who was a frequent critic of Bezos throughout his first time period — over what the Republican president deemed unfair protection by The Put up — praised the tech billionaire in March final 12 months, saying Bezos was doing “an actual job” with the publication.
Todays layoffs at The Washington Put up are a devastating setback for the scores of particular person journalists affected and for the journalism career,” mentioned Nationwide Press Membership President Mark Schoeff Jr, in an announcement.
