Washington Post Announces Massive Layoffs as Jeff Bezos Stays Silent

The Washington Post made massive layoffs Wednesday, cutting one-third of its total staff, its sports and books sections entirely, and downsizing its international and local Metro sections.

The cuts were announced in a video message to staff, without any comments from the newspaper’s owner, billionaire founder of Amazon.com Jeff Bezos, who has been criticized for cozying up to President Trump in his second term and shifting the newspaper’s opinion section rightward towards “personal liberties and free markets.”

“The actions we are taking include a broad strategic reset with a significant staff reduction,” the Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, said on the call.

Bezos’s silence on the cuts follows his silence last month after the FBI raided the home of a Post reporter, Hannah Natanson, who covers the White House’s efforts to cut the federal workforce. One staffer at the time said it was “nauseating and irresponsible to have our owner remain silent given this unprecedented event.”

Now, Bezos is silently presiding over cuts to the once venerable Post, which has lost thousands of subscribers due to its owner’s decision to court the Trumpian right. One of the laid-off staffers also happens to be Amazon beat reporter Caroline O’Donovan, which isn’t suspicious at all.

Remaining staff are obviously not happy with the move, with the Post’s unionized staff issuing a statement calling out the billionaire: “If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission that defined this paper for generations and serve the millions who depend on Post journalism, The Post deserves a steward that will.”

Likewise, the Washington-Baltimore News Guild also issued a statement:

This story has been updated.