The Washington Post announced sweeping layoffs on February 4, 2026, cutting roughly one-third of its workforce—more than 300 employees across the company, including a substantial share of the newsroom. The move represents one of the most severe staff reductions in the paper’s history and comes as leadership undertakes what executive editor Matt Murray called a “broad strategic reset” amid mounting financial pressure and rapid changes in the media industry.
Among those laid off is Caroline O’Donovan, the Post’s longtime Amazon beat reporter, whose coverage focused on the e-commerce giant founded by the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos. O’Donovan confirmed her departure in a rare post on X, writing: “haven’t posted here in years but uh… some news. i’m out, along with just a ton of the best in the biz. Horrible.”
The cuts span nearly every corner of the organization:
The Sports department is being dismantled in its current form, with only limited coverage continuing through features or print.
The Books section is shutting down.
International reporting is being scaled back, including the loss of Cairo bureau chief Claire Parker and other Middle East staff.
Significant reductions are hitting the Metro desk, editing teams, and other core operations.
The daily “Post Reports” podcast is being canceled.
Inside the newsroom, the reaction has been anguished and furious. Journalists described the day as a “bloodbath,” with many announcing their exits publicly on social media. Former race and ethnicity reporter Emmanuel Felton characterized the decision as “ideological,” not merely financial. Former executive editor Marty Baron called the layoffs “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations,” placing blame on leadership choices that deepened the paper’s business troubles.
The layoffs come despite recent appeals from White House correspondents, foreign bureaus, and local reporters urging Bezos to step in and preserve jobs. Bezos, who bought the Post in 2013 and has frequently emphasized its civic importance, has not publicly commented on the cuts.
The Post has struggled with declining subscriptions and revenue in recent years, pressures intensified by broader industry challenges including AI-driven disruption and competition from digital platforms. This latest restructuring follows earlier buyouts and scaled-back coverage ambitions, such as reduced plans for the Winter Olympics.
While the Post’s leadership says the changes are necessary to ensure long-term sustainability, critics argue the cuts will severely weaken accountability journalism at a critical moment. For a newspaper synonymous with investigative milestones like Watergate, the layoffs mark a painful turning point—one that raises serious questions about the future depth, reach, and independence of its reporting in 2026.