Mass layoffs at The Washington Post today (Wednesday) have prompted grief and outrage among D.C.-area reporters and a pointed rebuke of the newspaper’s owner from U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).
The publication eliminated about one-third of its staff today, cutting the jobs of numerous respected journalists on its Metro desk while eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands.
While the Post has not published a complete list of layoffs, many reporters have announced their job losses on social media. They include Virginia education reporter Karina Elwood and other D.C.-area journalists including people and politics reporter Michael Brice-Saddler, crime and criminal justice reporter Emma Uber, enterprise reporter Marissa Lang, transportation reporter Rachel Weiner and higher education and youth culture reporter Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff.
“I was sadly among those laid off at The Washington Post today, along with most of the Metro section and many other colleagues,” Rosenzweig-Ziff posted. “Gutted for the many talented friends and journalists who suffered a similar fate, and for this institution.”
About a dozen staffers remain on the Metro desk, down from more than 40, NPR reported. The shuttering of the newspaper’s sports department also eliminated the high school sports operation, which had been running for more than 100 years.
“Thanks to everyone who submitted a score, sent in some stats, answered a phone call or provided feedback (both good and bad) on a Top 20 ranking,” High School Sports Editor Michael Errigo wrote on X. “And, of course, thank you for reading.”‘
Still in operation is the Post’s Capital Weather Gang, whose meteorologist Matthew Cappucci described “a seismic shift in leadership, culture and vision” during his nine years at the publication.
“WaPo has many challenging years ahead,” Cappucci wrote. “While it’s questionable the newspaper will ever return to what it once was, I remain optimistic that — if navigated correctly — WaPo will remain a bastion of journalism, accountability and the search for truth for years to come.”
The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the layoffs painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and weather changes in technology and user habits. “We can’t be everything to everyone,” Murray said in a note to staff members.
He outlined the changes in a companywide online meeting, and staff members then began getting emails with one of two subject lines — telling them their role was or was not eliminated.
Beyer condemned the job cuts and the Post’s owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, in a scathing press release where he alleged “a trend of media companies and other key institutions of civil society responding to Donald Trump’s efforts to bully and intimidate them by knuckling under, sucking up, and appeasing him.”
“Over the past year we’ve seen media outlets try to protect the business interests and personal wealth of their billionaire owners by weakening or censoring journalism critical of Trump or his allies,” the congressman wrote. “This pervasive cowardice is deeply harmful to our country, and Jeff Bezos has been one of its chief practitioners.”
Beyer urged the newspaper’s owner to either invest in the Post more heavily, or else sell the company.
“Instead of hiding in silence while he slowly kills one of the best newspapers in the country, Jeff Bezos should show the Post’s readers and employees basic respect by taking honest responsibility for his actions,” he said. “Mr. Bezos has the wealth and resources to make the Post better than it is, but if he is unwilling to invest in his own newsroom or afraid of the risk associated with vibrant, critical journalism, I urge him to consider selling the Washington Post to someone who will be a better steward of this beloved and essential institution.”
Bezos, who has been silent in recent weeks amid pleas from Post journalists to step in and prevent the cutbacks, had no immediate comment today.
The newspaper has been bleeding subscribers in part due to decisions made by Bezos, including pulling back from an endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election against Donald Trump, and directing a more conservative turn on liberal opinion pages.
A private company, the Post does not reveal how many subscribers it has, but it is believed to be roughly 2 million. The Post would also not say how exactly many people it has on staff, and also does not outline its finances — though some reports have pegged the annual losses at $100 million and the scope of the layoffs at 300 or more employees.
Rumors of layoffs had circulated for weeks, ever since word leaked that sports reporters who had expected to travel to Italy for the Winter Olympics would not be going. But when official word came down, the size and scale of the cuts were shocking, affecting virtually every department in the newsroom.
“It’s just devastating news for anyone who cares about journalism in America and, in fact, the world,” said Margaret Sullivan, a Columbia University journalism professor and former media columnist at the Post and The New York Times. “The Washington Post has been so important in so many ways, in news coverage, sports and cultural coverage.”
Martin Baron, the Post’s first editor under Bezos, condemned his former boss and called what has happened at the newspaper “a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.”
The Washington Post Guild said that the Post’s workforce has shrunk by roughly 400 people over the last three years.
“The Post Guild vehemently opposes any more staff reductions,” the union wrote. “Now is the time to stand in solidarity with our laid-off colleagues and with those who remain, who will now be asked to do more with less. There is still time to save The Post.”
