DID Press: Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced a sweeping and “painful” restructuring on Wednesday that includes large-scale layoffs, a move executives say is necessary to secure the newspaper’s future.
Executive Editor Matt Murray said the newsroom will face “significant reductions.” According to The New York Times, about 300 journalists—out of roughly 800—have been laid off, although the Washington Post has not officially confirmed the figure.
Reports indicate that most of the paper’s foreign correspondents, including the entire Middle East team and the reporter based in Kyiv, have lost their jobs.
In a memo to staff, Murray wrote that the current structure of the Washington Post was built for an era when the outlet was a dominant local print newspaper. He pointed to fundamental shifts in the media ecosystem, the rise of low-cost content producers, and the rapid expansion of AI-generated content as key factors behind the decision.
The layoffs come as traditional U.S. media organizations face intense political and economic pressure. President Donald Trump has repeatedly labeled mainstream media as “fake news” and has pursued legal action over coverage related to his presidency.
At the same time, Jeff Bezos’s growing proximity to Trump during his second term has drawn criticism. This year, Amazon controversially paid $40 million to produce a documentary about Melania Trump and an additional $35 million for its marketing.
Former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron reacted to the cuts in a Facebook post, calling the move “one of the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.” He added that while Bezos had previously resisted pressure from Trump, “misguided decisions” by top management had ultimately led the paper to its current situation.