The Washington Post Begins Long Expected Layoffs
The Washington Post initiated long-rumored layoffs on Wednesday, as the Jeff Bezos-owned media company tries to reposition itself in an industry grappling with declining revenue.
The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, and its chief human resources officer, Wayne Connell, sent a message to employees on Wednesday morning asking them to stay at home for a Zoom meeting announcing “significant actions,” meaning an announcement of layoffs. The New York Times reported that Murray told staffers there would be a “significant staff reduction.”
In recent weeks, journalists at the Post and past staffers have launched a campaign to try to spare the publication from massive layoffs, with concerns raised over the international, sports and metro reporting. Some have written to Bezos directly, including foreign correspondents, seeking to preserve coverage.
The Post has seen declining audience in monthly digital traffic, albeit a those declines have been relatively widespread across the news media business. The publication also reportedly saw a subscription fall off after Bezos nixed the Post editorial page effort to endorse Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Bezos later shifted the strategy of the opinion pages, leading to an exodus of editors and columnists. The Amazon founder said that the opinion content would focus on the “defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”
More to come.
