Washington Post Cuts One-Third of Staff in Major Restructuring

Historic Newspaper Faces Deepest Cuts in Its 149-Year History

The Washington Post, one of America's most prestigious newspapers, announced on February 4, 2026, that it will lay off approximately one-third of its entire workforce in what represents the most severe staff reduction in the publication's 149-year history. The cuts affect all departments, with the sports desk and books department being eliminated entirely, and the flagship 'Post Reports' podcast being suspended.

Devastating Impact Across Departments

According to reports from the Los Angeles Times, the restructuring will eliminate more than 300 of the newspaper's roughly 800 journalists. Executive Editor Matt Murray described the move as a 'strategic reset' for the newspaper, which has been owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos since 2013. 'We hope to create a company that can grow and thrive again,' Murray stated in communications to staff, acknowledging the painful nature of the decision.

The sports department, which had already faced restrictions on covering the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, will be completely dismantled. The books coverage department, long a hallmark of the Post's cultural reporting, will also disappear. Several foreign bureaus are being closed, and the metro desk will be significantly reduced.

Financial Pressures and Subscriber Losses

The Post has been facing mounting financial challenges, with losses totaling $177 million in 2022-2023 according to Poynter Institute analysis. The newspaper has also experienced significant subscriber losses following controversial editorial decisions by owner Jeff Bezos. In October 2024, Bezos pulled the Post's endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which reportedly triggered over 300,000 subscription cancellations.

Additionally, Bezos implemented a major overhaul of the opinion section in 2025, declaring it would only publish columns 'in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.' This libertarian shift led to the resignation of Opinions Editor David Shipley and caused shock within the newsroom.

Union Response and Industry Reaction

The Washington-Baltimore News Guild, representing Post employees, strongly condemned the cuts. 'Without the staff of The Washington Post, there is no Washington Post,' the union stated in a public appeal. They called the layoffs a 'failure of leadership and vision' and warned that hollowing out the newsroom would damage the newspaper's credibility and reach.

Former Executive Editor Marty Baron, who led the Post during its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Trump administration, called it 'among the darkest days' in the newspaper's history. The Atlantic published a column titled 'The Murder of The Washington Post,' suggesting Bezos and publisher Will Lewis were destroying what made the paper special.

Broader Media Industry Context

The Post's struggles contrast sharply with its main competitor, The New York Times, which has doubled its staff over the past decade. Murray cited declining organic search traffic due to AI growth as one factor in the restructuring, reflecting broader challenges facing traditional media in the digital era.

Founded in 1877, The Washington Post has won 76 Pulitzer Prizes and is considered a newspaper of record in the United States. Its investigative reporting on the Watergate scandal led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974, cementing its reputation as a pillar of American democracy. The current cuts represent a dramatic reversal for an institution that has long been synonymous with journalistic excellence.