Just days after a seismic round of layoffs cut nearly 300 journalists – roughly one-third of its newsroom staff – The Washington Post is once again in the headlines, this time for the abrupt resignation of its publisher and CEO, Will Lewis. His departure, announced Saturday evening in an email to staff, came as a shock to many within the venerable news organization.
Lewis, hand-picked by owner Jeff Bezos and only taking the helm in early 2024, faced intense criticism. Reporters, editors, and industry observers alike voiced strong disapproval over the sheer scale of the job cuts and Lewis’s perceived detached leadership style. The optics certainly didn’t help, with photos circulating of Lewis at Super Bowl festivities while colleagues were losing their jobs back home.
The layoffs, among the largest in US media history, devastated key departments, reducing coverage across sports, books, local news, and international reporting. While Lewis defended these drastic changes as necessary for the Post’s “sustainable future,” many felt it severely crippled the paper’s ability to deliver comprehensive journalism.
Stepping into the interim role of publisher and CEO is Chief Financial Officer Jeff D’Onofrio. He acknowledged the tough times facing the news industry but expressed optimism for the Post’s path forward. Owner Jeff Bezos, usually quiet on internal matters, also weighed in, praising the Post’s mission and highlighting future “extraordinary opportunity,” even as questions swirl about the newsroom’s direction under new stewardship. It’s a challenging period for one of America’s most iconic newspapers.
