Washington, United States. The Washington Post began widespread layoffs on Wednesday that will affect all departments and significantly reduce the size of the newspaper, according to a recording of a call shared with Reuters.
Layoffs across desks and departments
Executive Editor Matt Murray told staff the cuts would span the international, editing, metro, and sports desks. The layoffs come days after the newspaper, which is more than 145 years old, scaled back its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics amid mounting financial losses.
Murray said the organization had operated with a structure rooted in the era when it was a quasi-monopoly local newspaper and that it needed a new approach and a sounder foundation. One Post reporter, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the situation as a “bloodbath.”
Journalists cited as impacted
Affected journalists include Amazon beat reporter Caroline O’Donovan, Cairo Bureau Chief Claire Parker, and the rest of the Post’s Middle East correspondents and editors, according to posts on X from O’Donovan and Parker.
Company statement on restructuring
In a statement, The Washington Post said it was taking difficult but decisive actions for its future and that the changes amounted to significant restructuring across the company. The paper said the steps were intended to strengthen its footing and sharpen its focus on delivering distinctive journalism that engages customers.
Sports department to close in current form
Murray said all departments were impacted and that politics and government would remain the largest desk and central to engagement and subscriber growth. He also said the sports department would be closed in its current form.
Broader industry pressures and prior reductions
News outlets have struggled for years to maintain sustainable business models after the internet upended the economics of journalism. The Washington Post made changes across several business functions last year and announced job cuts, saying at the time that reductions would not affect the newsroom. The newspaper, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, offered voluntary separation packages to employees across all functions in 2023 amid losses of $100 million.
Union response
The WaPo Guild said on X that if Bezos was no longer willing to invest in the mission that has defined the paper for generations and serve those who depend on Post journalism, then The Post deserved a steward that would.
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