The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its CEO and publisher, Will Lewis, was leaving the company effective immediately, just days after the newspaper, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, carried out drastic job cuts that sparked widespread anger.
Lewis, an English national, faced criticism from both subscribers and staff during his two-year tenure as he attempted to reverse financial losses at the paper. He has been replaced by Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the Post last year as chief financial officer.
In an email to staff shared on social media by a reporter, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.” A statement from the Post confirmed that D’Onofrio was succeeding him effective immediately.
The sweeping layoffs, announced on Tuesday, affected hundreds of journalists, including almost the entire overseas, local, and sports staff. Though the Post did not provide figures, The New York Times reported that around 300 of its 800 journalists were laid off.
The paper’s entire Middle East team was let go, as was its Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent, while sports, graphics, and local news departments were sharply reduced. Its daily podcast, Post Reports, was also suspended. Protesters gathered in front of the Post’s headquarters in downtown Washington on Thursday.
Editorial interference and financial pressure
US newspapers have struggled with falling revenues and subscriptions as they compete with social media, with online revenue far below what print advertising once earned. While rivals like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have remained financially stable, the Post has struggled despite Bezos’s backing.
In his note to staff, Lewis said, “Difficult decisions have been taken” to ensure the Post’s “sustainable future so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news.”
Both Bezos and Lewis have been criticised for intervening in editorial processes. Bezos curtailed the liberal-leaning editorial page and blocked an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris days before the 2024 election, breaking the traditional editorial firewall. The move was widely interpreted as favouring Donald Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the Post lost around 250,000 digital subscribers after refusing to endorse Harris, with the paper losing approximately $100 million in 2024 due to declining advertising and subscription revenue.
Former executive editor Marty Baron described the layoffs as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”
