The Washington Post announced on Wednesday that it is cutting roughly one‑third of its newsroom staff, eliminating about 300 positions.
What happened
The layoffs come after a series of decisions by owner Jeff Bezos that have reshaped the paper’s editorial direction. In late October 2024, Bezos stopped the Post’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, a move that led more than 200,000 subscribers to cancel their subscriptions.
Within weeks, the newsroom lost its entire sports section, its photo desk and most of its arts coverage. The Metro desk is slated for a major restructuring that will weaken reporting on the nation’s capital. International bureaus were also hit: the Cairo bureau chief announced the layoff of the whole Middle‑East team, and the Ukraine bureau was reportedly shut down, leaving reporters like Lizzie Johnson without a job while covering the war in Kyiv.
Why it matters
The cuts are framed by executives as a response to declining subscriptions and revenue, but Bezos’s net worth—estimated around $250 billion—means the paper could be run at a loss for years. Critics argue the layoffs are driven more by ideology than economics, especially after Bezos ordered the opinion section in February 2025 to focus daily on “personal liberties and free markets.”
Bezos has also deepened ties with the Trump administration: Amazon donated $1 million to the 2025 inaugural committee, Bezos attended the inauguration alongside other tech billionaires, and his Blue Origin company secured a Space Force contract worth more than $2 billion. These political alignments have coincided with subscription cancellations and revenue pressures that preceded the staffing reductions.
What could happen next
Analysts expect the Post may continue to trim staff in other departments to further reduce costs, potentially affecting investigative and local reporting. The restructuring of the Metro desk could lead to fewer stories on Washington politics, while the absence of the Cairo and Ukraine bureaus may limit coverage of Middle‑East and Eastern‑European affairs.
If subscription cancellations persist, the paper might explore additional revenue streams, such as paid events or greater reliance on Amazon’s resources, which could deepen the perception of editorial influence from Bezos’s other business interests.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Washington Post employees were laid off?
About 300 newsroom members, roughly one‑third of the staff, were cut.
What triggered the layoffs?
The layoffs followed a series of editorial and political decisions by Jeff Bezos, including cancelling the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, restructuring the opinion section around “personal liberties and free markets,” and a decline in subscriptions after more than 200,000 cancellations.
Which sections of the newspaper were most affected?
The cuts eliminated the entire sports section, the photo desk, most arts coverage, and led to major reductions in the Metro desk and international bureaus in Cairo and Kyiv.
What do you think the long‑term impact of these cuts could be on the quality of news coverage?
