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Washington Post Leaders Defend Deep Cuts as Acting CEO Vows to 'Fight Like Hell'

At a tense town hall, Jeff D’Onofrio cast the post-layoff downsizing as necessary.

Overview

  • At a newsroom Q&A, acting CEO Jeff D’Onofrio told staff he would “fight like hell” for the institution and defended the reductions as essential to stabilizing the business.
  • Executive editor Matt Murray said the Post now has roughly 1,300 employees company-wide, including about 400 in what he called a “well-stocked newsroom.”
  • The Feb. 4 layoffs eliminated the Sports and Books sections, shuttered the photo department, and sharply scaled back foreign and metro reporting.
  • Will Lewis stepped down as publisher and CEO days after the cuts, and owner Jeff Bezos said future coverage would be guided by reader data and the paper’s public-service mission.
  • Prominent critics such as Tina Brown faulted leadership for decisions they say drove away subscribers, including the 2024 endorsement reversal, while some commentators pointed to reported annual losses near $100 million.