Washington Post publisher announces departure

Lewis and the newspaper's billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, did not participate in a meeting with staff announcing the layoffs.

"During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future ‌of The ​Post so it can for many years ‍ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day," Lewis wrote in a message to staff that was shared online by ​the newspaper's White House bureau ‌chief, Matt Viser.

Jeff D'Onofrio, chief financial officer of the ​newspaper, will serve ‍as acting publisher and CEO, the Post said. He joined the newspaper only last June.

The layoffs prompted an outcry from those in the media lamenting the demise of a once revered institution, including associate editor Bob Woodward who broke the Watergate scandal.

The British-born Lewis was a former top executive at The Wall Street Journal before taking over at The Post in January 2024. 

His tenure has been rocky from the start, marked by layoffs and a failed reorganisation plan that led to the departure of former top editor Sally Buzbee.

The Post also lost tens of thousand of subscribers following Bezos' order late in the presidential campaign pulling back an expected endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, and subsequent changes to turn the editorial pages in a more conservative direction.

While anticipated, this past week's layoffs were deeper than anticipated, resulting in the shutting down of the Post's renowned sports section, sharp cutbacks in foreign and metro coverage and the laying off of its photographic staff.

with AP

Australian Associated Press