Jeff Bezos-owned The Washington Post has laid off more than 300 journalists and staff, representing nearly one-third of its newsroom, triggering a flood of grief-filled reactions from correspondents covering war zones and key regions including the Middle East, India, China, Iran and West Asia. In addition to the layoffs, the sports and book shelves were dismantled, foreign coverage was significantly reduced, and the newspaper stopped publishing the daily “Post Reports” podcast.
‘A dark day for global journalism
In what many current and former staff have described as a “dark day”, the organization appears to have dismantled its entire international reporting structure – a move they say affects not just the newspaper but global journalism as a whole.
Among those fired was Lizzie Johnson, who covered the Russo-Ukrainian war for the publication. She said she was “devastated” by the decision.
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“I was just fired by The Washington Post in the middle of a war zone. I’m speechless. I’m devastated,” Johnson wrote on the social network.
She shared the news when she tagged an earlier post from January 26 that showed her working from the backseat of a car. In this post, she spoke openly about the difficulties of being in a war zone and wrote about her experiences.
“Waking up without power, heat or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kiev continues. Warming up in the car, writing with a pencil – the pencil ink freezes – by the headlamp. Despite how difficult this work can be, I’m proud to be a foreign correspondent for The Washington Post.”
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The emotional weight was shared across continents.
The Post’s New Delhi bureau chief, Pranshu Verma, wrote: “Heartbroken to share that I have been let go from The Washington Post. Disgusted for so many of my talented friends who are also gone. It has been an honor to work here for the past four years.”
In another post, Ishaan Tharoor, son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, said he was “heartbroken” by the publication’s move. “Today I was let go from The Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and many other wonderful colleagues. It breaks my heart for our newsroom and especially for the unique journalists who have served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents who have been my friends and colleagues for nearly 12 years. It has been an honor to work with them,” he wrote.
In Berlin, the head of the office, Aaron Wiener, revealed that the entire office was closed.
“It’s been an honor and an adventure of a lifetime… It’s a dark day,” he wrote.
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Similarly, Anna Fifield, The Post’s Asia editor, said: “I was fired today as the Washington Post’s Asia editor. It’s been an absolute privilege to work with people who are not only incredible journalists, but also amazing people. My heart goes out to everyone who lost their jobs today — and to the readers who will be worse off.”
Bezos faces backlash and remains silent
Bezos has come under intense criticism online for what many see as his role in dealing with the serious failure of one of journalism’s best-known institutions. Despite being one of the world’s richest individuals with a fortune approaching $250 billion, Bezos has remained silent in recent weeks, ignoring calls from Post reporters calling for him to step in and stop the layoffs.
