The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, witnessed a mass layoff campaign that affected hundreds of journalists, including all Middle East correspondents, in a move described as a “black day” in the organization’s history.

Published on: 05/02/2026 - 04:39

The Washington Post, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, began laying off hundreds of its journalists on Wednesday, in a move that one of the former employees of this faltering newspaper for years described as a “black day” in the history of the ancient American media institution.

The mass layoffs that affected a number of sections of the newspaper fall within the context of the growing alliance between the founder of Amazon and US President Donald Trump, who continues to launch repeated campaigns against traditional media outlets since his return to power.

The final number of jobs that will be dismissed has not been officially announced, but the New York Times newspaper indicated that the dismissal decisions may affect about 300 journalists out of 800.

The restructuring program includes “significant reductions in the number of employees” with the aim of “securing the future” of the newspaper, according to what was explained by Washington Post Executive Director Matt Murray, who admitted that the measure is “difficult but necessary.”

Read also: American elections: The Washington Post’s silence costs it 8 percent of its subscribers

The exchange decisions extended to a large number of foreign correspondents, including all Middle East correspondents. Among them is also reporter Lizzie Johnson, who explained that she was fired while covering events from the front lines in Ukraine, and wrote on the X platform, “I am devastated.”

The mass layoffs also affected the sports, books, podcasts, local news, and graphics departments, to the point that some of these departments were almost completely eliminated.

The Post Guild union, which represents the newspaper's employees, considered that what happened "cannot pass without a price," stressing that "stripping the newsroom of its essence will not be without consequences for the newspaper's credibility, influence, and future."

Former editor-in-chief Martin Barron, one of the most prominent names in American journalism, expressed his deep regret over these decisions. He wrote on Facebook that what happened was “one of the darkest days in the newspaper’s history,” directing sharp criticism at “Jeff Bezos’s abhorrent attempts” to curry favor with Donald Trump, and considering it “a clear example of the almost immediate self-destruction of a brand.”

The Washington Post, known for exposing the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers and winning 76 Pulitzer Prizes since 1936, has been facing a crisis that has been going on for years.

During Donald Trump's first term, the newspaper achieved relatively good performance thanks to its frank style of coverage, but after the Republican billionaire left the White House, reader interest in it declined significantly, and financial results began to decline sharply.

The newspaper's losses in 2024 reached about $100 million, according to what was reported by the Wall Street Journal.

In the fall of 2024, The Washington Post decided not to publish an editorial supporting Kamala Harris in the presidential race against Donald Trump, contrary to its tradition of supporting Democratic candidates in the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 elections, which many considered an attempt by Jeff Bezos to get closer to Trump.

The newspaper has been owned by Jeff Bezos since 2013, after he acquired it in a major deal, while his wealth is currently estimated at about $245 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

France 24/AFP

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