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12:29 09.02.2026 •
The Washington Post office in Washington
Photo: Bloomberg
‘The Washington Post’ laid off hundreds of employees, which its former executive editor said “ranks among the darkest days” in the newspaper’s history. Approximately one-third of employees were affected.
“It’s an absolute bloodbath,” said one employee, not authorized to speak publicly.
During a morning meeting announcing the changes, the editor in chief, Matt Murray, told employees that the Post was undergoing a “strategic reset” to better position the publication for the future, according to several employees who were on the call.
Murray acknowledged that the Post had struggled to reach “customers” and talked about the need to compete in a crowded media marketplace. “Today, the Washington Post is taking a number of actions across the company to secure our future,” he said, according to an audio recording of the meeting.
Murray told employees that the Post was ending the current iteration of its popular sports desk, though some employees would remain on a new team. The Post is also restructuring its local coverage, reducing its international reporting operation, cutting its books desk and suspending its flagship daily news podcast Post Reports.
Murray said that while the Post’s international coverage team will be scaled back, approximately 12 bureaus will remain “with a focus on national security issues”.
Martin Baron, the Post’s executive editor until 2021, said: “This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.”
Murray said the Post’s largest team would be focused on covering politics and government, and the paper would also prioritize coverage of nationals news and features topics such as science, health, medicine, technology, climate and business.
The union suggested that Bezos might not be the right owner for the Post
The union representing most Post employees said the cuts made on Wednesday were not “inevitable”.
“A newsroom cannot be hollowed out without consequences for its credibility, its reach and its future,” the union said. “Continuing to eliminate workers only stands to weaken the newspaper, drive away readers and undercut The Post’s mission: to hold power to account without fear or favor and provide critical information for communities across the region, country and world.”
The union suggested that Bezos might not be the right owner for the Post. “If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission that has defined this paper for generations and serve the millions who depend on Post journalism, then the Post deserves a steward who that will.”
The union has organized a protest of the cuts to be held in front of the Post’s Washington DC headquarters on Thursday.
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