Overview
- Executive editor Matt Murray announced the layoffs on a staff call, with emails confirming status, as the paper eliminates the sports desk, closes the Books department and suspends the Post Reports podcast.
- About one-third of employees were cut — more than 300 newsroom roles — with reductions across nearly all departments including metro and foreign bureaus.
- Leadership says coverage will narrow to politics and national affairs with priority beats such as national security, science, health, technology, climate and business.
- The Washington Post Guild condemned the cuts, plans a protest outside headquarters on Thursday and urged Jeff Bezos to sell if he will not invest; Bezos has not commented publicly.
- Management cited sustained losses and changing news consumption, with reports of $77 million lost in 2023 and about $100 million in 2024, including declines tied to search and AI shifts.