Bloomberg News reported on the 26th that the influential American newspaper The Washington Post (WP) is planning to carry out large-scale workforce reductions.
Paul Fahy, a freelance journalist from the WP, told X (formerly Twitter) that day, citing former colleagues, that up to 300 people could lose their jobs. It has been reported that the sectors that will be hit hardest by this restructuring are foreign correspondents and sports.
Some Washington Post correspondents have publicly emphasized the need to continue covering the region through social media. Yeganeh Torbaty, a correspondent covering Iran and Turkey, appealed to X, citing the US-Israeli airstrikes since June of last year and the recent protests, saying, “We want to continue this important work.”
The Washington Post has also decided to reduce its staff to four from the original ten to cover the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, next month. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who acquired the Washington Post in 2013, has invested heavily in expanding the paper’s reach. However, recent plummeting advertising revenue and declining readership have led to restructuring.
Approximately 240 people will be laid off in the form of voluntary retirements in 2023, and another round of voluntary retirements was held last year. While the Washington Post is considered progressive, it sparked controversy in the 2024 presidential election when an editorial endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate, was not published due to Bezos’ objection.
Criticism spread both inside and outside the Washington Post, accusing businessman Bezos of making this decision based on the potential re-election of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Over 200,000 readers canceled their subscriptions.
Furthermore, internal opposition, including the resignations of several Washington Post reporters and editors, has been significant.