The Washington Post has entered another period of upheaval after CEO and publisher Will Lewis announced his resignation only days after overseeing sweeping layoffs. The move marks the latest leadership shake-up at one of America’s most influential newspapers, highlighting the deep financial and strategic challenges facing the modern news industry. Jeff D'Onofrio, the company's CFO, will take over as acting publisher and CEO immediately.
Will Lewis stepped down as CEO of The Washington Post shortly after the company announced significant job cuts affecting dozens of employees across departments. According to reporting cited by multiple outlets, Lewis said the decision came at the “right time to step aside”.
The resignation follows a difficult period for the paper, which has struggled with long-running financial pressures affecting much of the global media industry.
The layoffs were part of a cost-cutting plan designed to stabilize the company’s finances. Roughly a third of the organisation’s workforce, nearly 300 employees, were affected.
Previous reporting by NPR stated that the sports desk was eliminated entirely, the local news staff was reduced to roughly a dozen journalists from more than 40, and the international desk was significantly downsized.
Among the most striking losses were the entire Middle East reporting team, the Ukraine bureau chief, and another war correspondent. One of the journalists revealed she received the email informing her of her layoff while she was actively reporting from a war zone.
Amid the upheaval, owner Jeff Bezos issued a rare public statement expressing confidence in the newspaper’s future. He described the transition as the start of a new chapter and emphasized a strategy driven by audience data and reader demand.
"The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity," Bezos wrote. "Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
Will Lewis joined The Washington Post as CEO and publisher in late 2023. Lewis previously served as CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, where he was credited with expanding digital subscriptions and modernising revenue strategies.
Before that, he held senior editorial roles at The Telegraph in the UK and worked at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
His appointment was initially seen as a major strategic hire meant to accelerate the Post’s transformation and restore financial stability.
However, the rapid layoffs and internal tensions reportedly led to mounting scrutiny from staff and industry observers.
Will Lewis stepped down as CEO of The Washington Post shortly after the company announced significant job cuts affecting dozens of employees across departments. According to reporting cited by multiple outlets, Lewis said the decision came at the “right time to step aside”.
The resignation follows a difficult period for the paper, which has struggled with long-running financial pressures affecting much of the global media industry.
The layoffs were part of a cost-cutting plan designed to stabilize the company’s finances. Roughly a third of the organisation’s workforce, nearly 300 employees, were affected.
Previous reporting by NPR stated that the sports desk was eliminated entirely, the local news staff was reduced to roughly a dozen journalists from more than 40, and the international desk was significantly downsized.
Among the most striking losses were the entire Middle East reporting team, the Ukraine bureau chief, and another war correspondent. One of the journalists revealed she received the email informing her of her layoff while she was actively reporting from a war zone.
Amid the upheaval, owner Jeff Bezos issued a rare public statement expressing confidence in the newspaper’s future. He described the transition as the start of a new chapter and emphasized a strategy driven by audience data and reader demand.
"The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity," Bezos wrote. "Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
Will Lewis joined The Washington Post as CEO and publisher in late 2023. Lewis previously served as CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, where he was credited with expanding digital subscriptions and modernising revenue strategies.
Before that, he held senior editorial roles at The Telegraph in the UK and worked at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
His appointment was initially seen as a major strategic hire meant to accelerate the Post’s transformation and restore financial stability.
However, the rapid layoffs and internal tensions reportedly led to mounting scrutiny from staff and industry observers.
