US news outlet Washington Post begins layoff, gutting sports and foreign coverage, says source

Summary

• The Washington Post is implementing widespread layoffs, significantly reducing its sports department and international coverage, according to Executive Editor Matt Murray.
• Facing financial struggles and losses of US$100 million, The Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, is restructuring after offering voluntary separation packages in 2023.
• The Washington Post Guild criticises Bezos's commitment, while internal tensions rise over editorial decisions and shifting ties with political figures like Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON – US news outlet The Washington Post informed its staff on Feb 4 that it was starting a widespread layoff that would gut its sports department and shrink its international footprint, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.

Executive editor Matt Murray announced the job cuts on a call with employees, the source said, requesting anonymity as the matter was private.

“We will be closing the sports department in its current form,” Mr Murray said in a companywide call that began at 8.30am Eastern time (9.30pm Singapore time). The call transcript was shared with Reuters by the source.

“All departments are impacted. Politics and government will remain our largest desk and will remain central to our engagement and subscriber growth.”

The Post did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The layoff comes days after the more than 145-year-old newspaper scaled back its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics
amid mounting financial losses.

News outlets are struggling to maintain a sustainable business model after the internet upended the economics of journalism, shifting trust towards creators and causing digital advertising rates to tank.

To navigate the challenges, The Washington Post made changes across several business functions and announced job cuts in 2025, saying the reductions would not impact its newsroom.

The newspaper, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, had offered voluntary separation packages to employees across all functions in 2023 amid losses of US$100 million (S$127 million).

“If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission that has defined this paper for generations and serve the millions who depend on Post journalism, then The Post deserves a steward that will,” the Washington Post Guild said on social media platform X.

The Post’s White House staff said in a letter to Mr Bezos last week that their most impactful coverage depends heavily on collaboration with teams at risk of job cuts, and that a diversified newsroom is essential when the paper faces financial challenges.

Mr Bezos said in 2013 when he bought the newspaper that he would preserve its journalistic tradition and would not lead its day-to-day operations. But there “will, of course, be change” over the coming years, he had said.

In recent years, The Post has clashed with some of its journalists, who have openly criticised Mr Bezos after the newspaper decided not to endorse a candidate in the November 2024 US presidential election, leading to more than 200,000 people cancelling their digital subscriptions.

The newspaper, which appointed Mr William Lewis as its chief executive officer in early 2024, also revamped its opinion section in 2025, shifting focus on “personal liberties and free markets”.

Mr Bezos was among the several tech executives seen as making overtures to US President Donald Trump in 2025. He was seated prominently at Mr Trump’s inauguration, underscoring his shifting ties.

Mr Trump, who was a frequent critic of Mr Bezos during his first term – over what the Republican President deemed unfair coverage by The Post – praised the tech billionaire in March 2025, saying Mr Bezos was doing “a real job” with the publication. REUTERS