GREY LADY D0WN
Washington Post CEO out after sweeping job cuts
By AFP
February 8, 2026
The sweeping job cuts at The Washington Post left hundreds of journalists without work - Copyright AFP/File Oliver Contreras
Nicholas ROLL
The Washington Post said Saturday its CEO and publisher Will Lewis was leaving effective immediately, just days after the storied newspaper owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made drastic job cuts that angered readers.
Though newspapers across the United States have been facing brutal industry headwinds, Lewis’s management of the outlet was sharply criticized by subscribers and employees alike during his two-year tenure as he tried to reverse financial losses at the daily.
Lewis, who is English, has been replaced by Jeff D’Onofrio, a former CEO of social media platform Tumblr who had joined the Post as chief financial officer last year, the paper announced.
In an email to staff shared on social media by one of the newspaper’s reporters, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”
A statement from the Post said only that D’Onofrio was succeeding Lewis “effective immediately.”
Hundreds of Post journalists — including most of its overseas, local and sports staff — were let go in the sweeping cuts announced on Tuesday.
The Post did not disclose the number of jobs being eliminated, but The New York Times reported approximately 300 of its 800 journalists were laid off.
The paper’s entire Middle East roster was let go as was its Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent as the war with Russia grinds on.
Sports, graphics and local news departments were sharply scaled back and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended, local media reported.
Hundreds turned out Thursday at a protest in front of the paper’s headquarters in downtown Washington.
– Editorial interference –
Newspapers across the country have cratered under falling revenues and subscriptions as they compete for eyeballs with social media, and as internet revenue pales in comparison to what print advertising once commanded.
However, national papers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have managed to weather the storm and come out financially solid — something the Post, even with a billionaire backer, has failed to do.
In Lewis’s note to staff, shared on X by White House bureau chief Matt Viser, Lewis said “difficult decisions have been taken” during his tenure “in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news.”
Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, and Lewis have come under scrutiny for intervening directly in the paper’s editorial processes.
Bezos reined in the newspaper’s liberal-leaning editorial page and blocked an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris days before the 2024 election — breaking the so-called firewall of editorial independence.
He was widely seen as bowing to Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that 250,000 digital subscribers left the Post after it refrained from endorsing Harris, and the paper lost around $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues fell.
Marty Baron, the Post’s executive editor until 2021, said that the job cuts ranked “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.”
By AFP
February 5, 2026
Copyright AFP Ina FASSBENDER
Several hundred people rallied outside The Washington Post headquarters Thursday to protest its decision to lay off hundreds of journalists, including most of its overseas staff.
“Democracy dies in darkness. And you, Jeff Bezos, have turned off the lights,” a sign at the demonstration read, referring to the newspaper’s front-page slogan and its billionaire owner, who has become close to President Donald Trump during the Republican’s second term.
The sweeping cuts at the Post announced Wednesday came as major traditional media outlets in the United States face intense pressure from Trump, who routinely denigrates journalists as “fake news” and has launched multiple lawsuits against media organizations.
“In a time where we’ve seen unprecedented attacks on the press, and anti- or negative sentiment toward journalists for just doing their jobs, it’s dangerous to cut staff this way,” said Michael Brice-Saddler, who covered the US capital for the Post and has now been laid off.
“These cuts are not the fault of our staff, yet they are the ones who bear the brunt of the cost. They lose resources, they lose the ability to tell stories that are meaningful to Washington,” Brice-Saddler said.
The Post did not disclose the number of jobs being eliminated but The New York Times reported approximately 300 of its 800 journalists were laid off.
Most of the paper’s journalists overseas were let go, including its entire Middle East roster and its Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent as the war with Russia grinds on.
Sports, graphics and local news departments were sharply scaled back and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended, local media reported.
Bezos reined in the newspaper’s liberal-leaning editorial page and blocked an endorsement of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris days before the 2024 election — breaking the so-called firewall of editorial independence. He was widely seen as bowing to Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that 250,000 digital subscribers left the Post after it refrained from endorsing Harris and the paper lost around $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues fell.
Marissa J. Lang, an enterprise reporter who was fired by the Post, said the full effect of the layoffs remains to be seen.
“A lot of people have been asking me about the impact of these cuts, and I have very honestly been telling them, I don’t think we know yet,” Lang said.
“The impact of losing 300 journalists who hold power to account, who investigate corruption, who tell you about what’s happening in war zones overseas, and whether your kids’ schools will be open because it snowed, is immeasurable,” Lang said.
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