Washington Post Faces Heat, Spark Emotional Messages Over Massive Layoffs: Ishaan Tharoor Among 300 Axed

The Washington Post, owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced major job cuts Wednesday, saying that "painful" restructuring was needed at the storied newspaper.

The Washington Post, owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has laid off more than 300 journalists and staff, over a third of its editorial workforce, triggering an outpouring of anguish from correspondents reporting from war zones, global capitals, and some of the world's most sensitive datelines.

Jeff Bezos, announced major job cuts on Wednesday, saying that "painful" restructuring was needed at the storied newspaper.

The Post, which gained legendary status when its reporting helped bring down president Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal, will see "substantial" reductions in its newsroom, Executive Editor Matt Murray said.

War zone layoff

The Post did not disclose the number of job cuts, but the New York Times reports approximately 300 of its 800 journalists were laid off. Most of the paper's journalists overseas were let go, includings its entire Middle East roster and its Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent.

Sports, graphics and local news departments were sharply scaled back and the paper's daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended, local media reported.

Murray said the Post would now focus on politics, national security, technology, investigations, and business, among other topics.

But a reporter who covered Amazon -- currently valued at $2.6 trillion -- was let go.

"These layoffs are not inevitable. A newsroom cannot be hollowed out without consequences for its credibility, its reach and its future," the labor union representing many Post journalists said in a statement.

It called for supporters of the paper, acquired by Bezos in 2013, to rally outside its Washington headquarters at noon on Thursday.

The White House's communications director, Stephen Cheung, issued a typically scornful message.

"Just a reminder that printing fake news is not a profitable business model," he posted on X.

Bloodbath At The Washington Post

Entire international reporting structures appear to have been dismantled in a move many current and former staff describe as a "dark day," not just for the newspaper, but for global journalism.

Among those laid off was Ishaan Tharoor, the Post's senior international affairs columnist and the son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. In a post on X, Ishaan Tharoor shared what looked like a picture of the newsroom, with a poster reading "Democracy Dies in Darkness." He captioned the post "A bad day."

In another post, Ishaan Tharoor, who launched the widely read WorldView column in 2017, confirmed he was laid off, saying he was "heartbroken" by the publication's move.

"I have been laid off today from The Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I'm heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally - editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years. It's been an honour to work with them," he wrote.

Ukraine correspondent Lizzie Johnson was also laid off by the publication. She posted on X: "I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated."

The Post's New Delhi Bureau Chief Pranshu Verma wrote, "Heartbroken to share I've been laid off from The Washington Post. Gutted for so many of my talented friends who are also gone. It was a privilege to work here the past four years."

(With inputs from AFP)