Washington Post CEO steps down days after sweeping layoffs spark backlash

The Washington Post announced that its chief executive Will Lewis is stepping down, just days after overseeing major layoffs that cut roughly one-third of the newspaper’s workforce. In a message to staff, Lewis said it was the right time to leave following “difficult decisions” aimed at securing the paper’s future.

The layoffs included significant reductions in sports and international coverage and drew sharp criticism from journalists, readers and media observers. Hundreds of people protested outside the newspaper’s Washington DC headquarters after the cuts were revealed, which reportedly included the entire Middle East team and the Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent.

Executive editor Matt Murray defended the reductions, saying they were necessary to restore financial stability. Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the paper as chief financial officer last year, will serve as acting publisher and CEO following Lewis’s departure.

Lewis, a former Dow Jones chief executive and Wall Street Journal publisher, joined the Washington Post in 2023 and had faced ongoing pressure from staff and subscribers while trying to address financial losses. Former executive editor Marty Baron described the layoffs as one of the darkest moments in the publication’s history.

The leadership change comes amid continuing turmoil at the newspaper. In recent years, owner Jeff Bezos has faced criticism over controversial editorial decisions, including ending the paper’s longstanding practice of endorsing presidential candidates ahead of the 2024 election — a move that led to a significant drop in subscriptions. The opinion editor also resigned last year after Bezos pushed for the opinion section to focus on themes such as personal liberties and free markets.