Washington Post says one-third of staff across all departments to be laid off

The Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments, not just the newsroom, is being laid off.

The troubled Post has begun implementing large-scale cutbacks, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists stationed overseas. The changes were announced by executive editor Matt Murray in a Zoom meeting with staff.

Staff members in the newsroom were told they would be getting emails with one of two subject lines, announcing that the person’s role has or hasn’t been eliminated. A total number of layoffs was not announced in the call, and the Post wouldn’t say how big its current staffing is.

The newspaper’s books department will be closed, and its Washington-area news department and editing staff will be restructured, Murray told staff members. Its Post Reports podcast will be suspended.

Murray acknowledged that the cuts will be a shock to the system but said the goal is to create a Post that can grow and thrive again.

The moves were expected for several weeks, since word leaked out that the Post had told its sports staffers who had arranged to cover the Winter Olympics in Italy that they would not be going. After it became public, the Post reversed course and said it would be sending a limited staff.