The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive officer and publisher Will Lewis has stepped down with immediate effect, following intense backlash over sweeping job cuts that have shaken one of America’s most influential news organisations.
Lewis’s departure comes just days after the paper announced a dramatic reduction in its newsroom, triggering protests by staff and criticism from subscribers who accused management of hollowing out journalistic capacity in the name of cost-cutting. The paper said Lewis has been replaced by Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the Post last year as chief financial officer after serving as CEO of Tumblr.
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In an email to staff, later shared on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside,” without directly addressing the scale of the layoffs or the internal anger they sparked. The Post confirmed only that the leadership change was effective immediately.
Layoffs trigger newsroom revolt
The leadership shake-up follows one of the most severe rounds of cuts in the paper’s recent history. While the Post has not officially disclosed numbers, US media reports say around 300 journalists — nearly one-third of the newsroom — were laid off, including most of its foreign, local and sports reporting staff.
Entire teams were eliminated, including the paper’s Middle East coverage and its Kyiv-based correspondent reporting on the war in Ukraine. Sports, graphics and local news desks were sharply scaled back, while the daily podcast Post Reports was suspended. The cuts prompted hundreds of journalists and supporters to gather outside the paper’s Washington headquarters in protest, accusing management of sacrificing journalism to meet financial targets.
The Post, like much of the US newspaper industry, has been struggling with declining advertising revenue and digital subscriptions as readers increasingly turn to social media and alternative platforms for news. However, critics argue that the scale of the layoffs has weakened the paper’s ability to compete with rivals such as New York Times and Wall Street Journal, both of which have managed to stabilise revenues despite industry headwinds.
Bezos under scrutiny
The turmoil has also reignited debate over the role of owner Jeff Bezos, who bought the Post in 2013. Bezos and Lewis have faced criticism for what journalists and media observers describe as increasing interference in editorial decisions.
In the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election, Bezos blocked the paper from endorsing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, breaking with long-standing editorial tradition. The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to avoid confrontation with Donald Trump, who went on to win the election and has repeatedly attacked the media.
According to industry reports, the decision had financial consequences. Around 250,000 digital subscribers reportedly cancelled their subscriptions soon after, while the paper is estimated to have lost roughly ₹830 crore (about $100 million) in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues fell.
‘Darkest days’ warning
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,” warning that a diminished Post would weaken the ability of the US press to hold those in power accountable.
As Trump’s administration has pursued multiple lawsuits against media organisations and ramped up pressure on journalists, critics fear that shrinking newsrooms will struggle to withstand political and legal challenges.
D’Onofrio now inherits a deeply unsettled newsroom and mounting questions about the Post’s future direction. In a brief statement, the company said the leadership change was aimed at stabilising operations and rebuilding trust, though no immediate reversal of the job cuts has been signalled.
For many inside the newsroom, Lewis’s sudden exit may mark the end of one chapter — but the broader battle over the Post’s identity, independence and survival in a hostile media economy is far from over.
About the author – Rehan Khan is a law student and legal journalist with a keen interest in cybercrime, digital fraud, and emerging technology laws. He writes on the intersection of law, cybersecurity, and online safety, focusing on developments that impact individuals and institutions in India.
