The Washington Post is laying off about 4% of its workforce, the company announced Tuesday — the latest blow to a paper that has seen heavy financial losses as well as an exodus of top talent from a newsroom that has become increasingly distant. by owner Jeff. Bezos and publisher Will Lewis.
The layoffs will affect fewer than 100 people across the newspaper’s business division, including its sales and marketing teams and information technology units, according to the release.
News of the layoffs was first reported by the New York Times and Status newspaper.
When reached by The Post, a Washington Post spokesman confirmed the Times’ report.
The cuts will not affect the newsroom, which downsized two years ago when the company eliminated 240 jobs.
“The Washington Post is continuing its transformation to meet the needs of the industry, build a more sustainable future and reach audiences where they are,” the newspaper said in a statement.
“The changes to our business functions are all in service of our larger goal of better positioning the Post Office for the future.”
Last year, Lewis told staff that the paper lost $77 million in 2023 and that its digital subscriber base would drop significantly from 2020.
As of 2021, the Washington Post has seen a 14% decline in digital revenue and a 12% decline in total revenue, according to Poynter.
In 2020, the newspaper boasted 3 million digital subscribers. But by 2023, that number had shrunk to 2.5 million.
While the newspaper’s website recorded 101 million unique monthly visitors in 2020, this number dropped to 50 million in 2023.
The Washington Post reported operating profits of $246 million in 2018, which fell during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in office.
But the election of Joe Biden ushered in a dark era for the paper, which attracted a large, mostly liberal subscriber base as the publication positioned itself as an opponent of Republican Trump.
Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, has sought to change the perception of his newspaper by blocking the editorial board from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris just weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
The decision outraged Washington Post readers. About 250,000 subscribers reportedly canceled their memberships in anger.
Two columnists – Michele Norris and Robert Kagan – resigned from the paper in protest while two others – Molly Roberts and David Hoffman – left the editorial board.
Last week, two of the Washington Post’s top political reporters — Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer — were poached from The Atlantic, which is owned by a group funded by billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs.
Josh Dawsey, another highly regarded political investigative reporter, is leaving the Washington Post for a position at the Wall Street Journal.
Tyler Pager, a White House correspondent, is said to be “considering a transfer” or “already decided to leave,” according to a report from Puck News.
Ann Telnaes, a longtime Washington Post cartoonist, announced that she was leaving the paper in protest of the decision to run an illustration mocking Bezos as subservient to Trump.
In June, Sally Buzbee, executive editor, left the publication — as did managing editor Matea Gold.
The moves were part of a restructuring of the newsroom under Lewis, whose tenure has been difficult, marred by staff dissatisfaction over his management style.
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