The Washington Post introduced widespread layoffs throughout all departments, considerably shrinking its newsroom and impacting international, metro, sports activities, and modifying desks.
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Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
The Washington Post started widespread layoffs on Wednesday that can drastically shrink the scale of the storied newspaper, affecting all departments, in accordance with a recording of the decision shared with Reuters.
Government Editor Matt Murray knowledgeable the employees of the cuts, which is able to lower throughout the international, modifying, metro, and sports activities desks, and come 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 after we have been a quasi-monopoly native newspaper,” Murray stated on the decision, including that “we want a brand new manner ahead and a sounder basis.”
One Post reporter, talking on situation of anonymity, known as it a “massacre.”
The impacted journalists embrace Amazon beat reporter Caroline Donovan, Cairo Bureau Chief Claire Parker and the remainder of the Post’s Center East correspondents and editors, in accordance with X posts from Donovan and Parker.
“The Washington Post is taking quite a lot of troublesome however decisive actions at this time for our future, in what quantities to a big restructuring throughout the corporate,” the Post stated in an announcement. “These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our give attention to delivering the distinctive journalism that units The Post aside and, most significantly, engages our clients.”
ALL DEPARTMENTS IMPACTED
Information retailers have struggled for years to take care of 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 will stay central to our engagement and subscriber development,” Murray stated within the name. “We can be closing the sports activities division in its present kind.” The Washington Post final 12 months made modifications throughout a number of enterprise features and introduced job cuts, saying then that the reductions wouldn’t affect its newsroom. The newspaper, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, had supplied voluntary separation packages to staff throughout all features in 2023 amid losses of $100 million.
“If Jeff Bezos is not keen to spend money on the mission that has outlined this paper for generations and serve the thousands and thousands who rely on Post journalism, then The Post deserves a steward that will,” the WaPo Guild stated on X.
The Post’s White Home employees stated 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 stated 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 stated.
CLASHES WITH JOURNALISTS
In recent times, The Post has clashed with a few of its journalists, who’ve brazenly criticized Bezos after the newspaper determined to not endorse a candidate within the November 2024 U.S. presidential election, resulting in extra than 200,000 folks canceling their digital subscriptions. The newspaper, which appointed William Lewis as its CEO in early 2024, additionally revamped its opinion part final 12 months, shifting give attention to “private liberties and free markets.”
Bezos was among the many a number of tech executives seen as making overtures to U.S. 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 Post – praised the tech billionaire in March final 12 months, saying Bezos was doing “an actual job” with the publication.
“At present’s layoffs on the Washington Post are a devastating setback for the scores of particular person journalists affected and for the journalism occupation,” stated Nationwide Press Membership President Mark Schoeff Jr., in an announcement.
Printed on February 4, 2026
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