Washington Post sees sweeping layoffs gutting multiple desks

Sweeping layoffs have hit The Washington Post newsroom on Wednesday, Feb. 4, causing hundreds of job cuts and the shuttering of multiple desks, including its sports and books teams, the Associated Press reported.

One-third of The Washington Post staff across all departments were cut in the layoffs, according to the AP. This encompasses members of the sports and books departments and will also lessen the number of overseas journalists and suspend The Post Reports podcast. The paper's Washington-area news department and editing staff will also see changes, the outlet reported.

The layoffs were announced by Executive Editor Matt Murray on a morning Zoom call with employees, multiple outlets reported. Employees were told to join the company-wide call at 8:30 a.m. ET and later found out the status of their jobs via email after the meeting's conclusion.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, The Washington Post Guild wrote the layoffs were not inevitable and that it "vehemently opposes any more staff reductions."

"Now is the time to stand in solidarity with our laid-off colleagues and with those who remain, who will now be asked to do more with less," the guild wrote in its statement. "There is still time to save The Post."

The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has moved to cut costs in recent years. It offered voluntary separation packages to employees across all functions in 2023 amid losses of $100 million, Reuters reported.

The layoffs come shortly before the 2026 Winter Olympics and follow a Jan. 29 letter from The Post's White House staff to Bezos, Reuters reported, with the staff saying their most impactful coverage depends heavily on collaboration with teams at risk of job cuts and that a diversified newsroom is essential at a time when the paper faces financial challenges.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the paper said it is taking "a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company."

"These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers," the statement read.

Contributing: Reuters

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X @katecperez_.