January 1, Washington Post Shakeup After Big Layoffs

Wyatt’s Take

• The Washington Post’s CEO quits right after huge staff cuts.
• The outlet is slashing jobs and changing focus to stay afloat.
• Media is tightening belts as old models keep failing.

The CEO of The Washington Post resigned just days after the company laid off about a third of its employees. Will Lewis, the outgoing publisher, claimed his exit was needed to keep the paper moving forward.

“After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside,” Lewis said. “I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The institution could not have a better owner.”

Lewis took over in 2024 to try to fix what they admitted was shrinking readership and years of losses. Now, the paper’s chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, steps up for now as they look for new leadership.

Jeff Bezos, who owns the paper, said in a statement, “The Washington Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity.” He added, “Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus.”

Earlier this week, the Post cut around 300 jobs to focus only on profitable areas. They dropped almost all international reporting and eliminated the entire sports department. Some sports writers moved over to features, but most jobs are gone. The company is keeping a small number of reporters overseas and shifting coverage to national news, investigations, and health stories.

Matt Murray, the executive editor, told staff, “If we are to thrive, not just endure, we must reinvent our journalism and our business model with renewed ambition.” Later, he said, “Today is about positioning ourselves to become more essential to people’s lives in what has become a more crowded, competitive, and complicated media landscape.”

The Post is closing its Post Reports podcast and restructuring its metro team as it struggles to adapt.

Want to know how these changes might affect your news and where you get it? Keep following for updates working folks in Middle America deserve.

Wyatt Matters

When big city media cut jobs and shrink their coverage, regular Americans are reminded that the priorities of these institutions don’t always line up with the real needs in our towns and neighborhoods.

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