‘The Washington Post' begins sweeping layoffs in major newsroom restructuring

The Washington Post announced a massive round of layoffs on Wednesday, February 4. The move highlights a strategic shift under owner Jeff Bezos.

The layoffs are expected to reduce the newsroom by hundreds of people, which will greatly affect the local, sports, and international coverage of the newspaper.

In a video call with staff, Executive Editor Matt Murray announced a “broad strategic reset with a significant staff reduction.”

The layoffs will wipe out the sports department as it is known today, reduce the books section to zero, and significantly reduce the local and foreign desks.

The decision comes after a warning by publisher Will Lewis that the Post was “losing large amounts of money” and that the readership had halved in the past few years.

Following this decision, there has been an internal outcry.

The move was highly criticised by The Washington Post Guild, stating, “A newsroom cannot be hollowed out without consequences.”

Bezos, who bought the Post in 2013, hired Lewis in late 2023 to guide the publication towards profitability. The Post, which has been experimenting with AI and new digital projects, still faces the challenge of falling subscription and online readership, which is common in the media industry.

The layoffs have been described as “among the darkest days” in the Post’s history by former executive editor Marty Baron. 

The move represents a sharp reversal for the newspaper, which had grown under Bezos’s ownership in the early years of his tenure and is now struggling to find its place in the future.