The Washington Post will lay off one-third of its staff, including its entire sports department – The Mercury News
By DAVID BAUDER | The Associated Press
The Washington Post is laying off a third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a devastating blow to one of journalism’s most popular brands.
The troubled Post began implementing major cuts on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and reducing the number of reporters it broadcasts overseas. The changes were announced by editor-in-chief Matt Murray in a Zoom meeting with staff.
The downsizing is a significant psychological effect at the Post, known in history books for its Watergate revelations and more recently for the brutal coverage of President Donald Trump’s cuts to federal workers, and journalism in general.
Staff in the newsroom were told they would receive emails with one of two subject lines, announcing that the person’s role had been removed or that it had not yet been completed. A representative for the Post Office confirmed that one-third of the workforce would be cut, without specifying how many of the newspaper’s staff.
The newspaper’s book department will be closed, and the Washington-area news department and editorial staff will be reorganized, Murray told staff. Its Post Reports podcast will be discontinued.
Murray agreed that the cuts will shock the system but said the goal is to build a Post that will be able to grow and prosper.
“The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive steps today for our future, including a significant restructuring of the entire company,” a Post spokesperson said in a statement. “These moves are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering unique journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers.”
A private company, the Post does not disclose how many subscribers it has, although the number is believed to be around 2 million.
The move was expected to last for several weeks, after word leaked that the Post had told its sports staff who had planned to cover the Winter Olympics in Italy that they would not be leaving. After going public, the Post canceled the course and said it would send fewer employees.
The Post’s problems differ from those of its longtime rival The New York Times, which has thrived in recent years, in large part due to investments in affiliate products such as its Sports site and the Wirecutter product recommendations. The Times has doubled its staff over the past decade.
In recent weeks, several Post employees have been complaining directly to the newspaper’s owner, the billionaire founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. The newspaper has been bleeding because of the decisions it has made – withdrawing from the endorsement of Kamala Harris, a Democrat, during the 2024 presidential election against Trump, a Republican, and directing the opportunity to open the pages of liberal opinions.
The Washington Post Guild, a labor union, urged the public to send a message to Bezos: “Enough is enough. Without the employees of The Washington Post, there is no Washington Post.”
