Washington Post announces massive layoffs in blow to storied paper 

The Washington Post has laid off one-third of its staff, eliminating its sport section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represents a blow to journalism and one of its most iconic newspapers.

A spokesperson for the Post said the “difficult” decision would make the paper more dynamic, but reporters and editors across US media criticised the decision as baffling and irresponsible.

“This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations,” former Washington Post editor Marty Baron said in a statement responding to the announcement.

“The Washington Post’s ambitions will be sharply diminished, its talented and brave staff will be further depleted, and the public will be denied the ground-level, fact-based reporting in our communities and around the world that is needed more than ever.”

The cuts will affect the paper’s sport, books, editing, metro, and international coverage, with bureau chiefs from around the world announcing over social media that they had been fired.

“Heartbroken to share I’ve been laid off from The Washington Post,” Pranshu Verma, the paper’s New Delhi bureau chief, said over social media. “Gutted for so many of my talented friends who are also gone.”

Staff members were told they would receive an email confirming whether they still had a job.

“The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company,” the Post said in a statement. “These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers.”

The publication has been the site of clashing priorities between reporters and management, with many expressing frustration after the paper pulled its decision to endorse a 2024 presidential candidate, a move denounced by critics as an effort to curry favour with Donald Trump. More than 200,000 people cancelled their subscriptions in response to the decision.

Trump sharply criticised the Post’s reporting during his first term but said last March that billionaire founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos, who bought the paper in 2013, was doing “a real job” at the publication. Amazon recently spent more than $70m to buy and market a documentary about Trump’s wife, Melania, far more than is considered typical, prompting accusations that Bezos was attempting to cosy up to the White House.

“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 that will,” The Washington Post Guild, a labour union that represents staff, said in a statement responding to the cuts.