Democracy Died Under a Billionaire’s Watch: Massive Purge at The Post as One-Third of Its Workforce Was Let Go

Key Points:

The Washington Post, an American daily newspaper and recipient of several Pulitzer Prizes, has sent ripples in the world of journalism by announcing mass layoffs in its editorial workforce. The unforeseen decision has led to the unemployment of hundreds of staff members at the century-old newspaper worth billions of dollars.

Several employees of the newspaper who were immediately let go took to their social media accounts to bid farewell. The newspaper outlet laid off one-third of its staff, including the elimination of its sports section and several foreign bureaus.

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According to CNN, employees were informed of the devastating news through a video conference on February 4, 2026. The executive editor of The Washington Post, Matt Murray, stated that the sports and books sections of the daily newspaper would be shut down, along with a reduction in the number of local and international reporting teams.

The Washington Post is widely known for breaking the story of the infamous Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of then US President Richard Nixon in 1974. Amid the chaos, many social users raised questions about the silence of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who purchased The Washington Post in 2013.

Several reporters who lost their jobs took to social media to urge the billionaire businessman not to cut jobs. Neither The Washington Post nor Jeff Bezos has made any announcement regarding the massive layoffs.

The Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray reportedly stated that the mass layoff was due to the organisation’s structure, which he said was built for a “different era.” He further acknowledged that the organisation has been losing money for some time.

He said, “This will help to secure our future and provide us stability moving forward.” US Senator Elizabeth Warren criticised Bezos in a post on X, where she referenced his net worth. “Jeff Bezos just fired hundreds of reporters at The Washington Post — including the Amazon reporter holding his OWN company accountable. Reminder: Jeff Bezos’ net worth is nearly $250,000,000,000,” Warren wrote.

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Shashi Tharoor’s Son Among Those Laid Off

Following the mass layoffs, many journalists expressed their disappointment over the devastating news. American journalist Ishaan Tharoor, the son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was among the one-third of staff let go from the news organisation.

Ishaan Tharoor shared a photograph of an empty newsroom, which also showed a poster bearing the text, “Democracy dies in Darkness.” He captioned the image, “A bad day.”

In another post on X, he said he was heartbroken over the mass layoffs and expressed his honour at having worked with his 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,” Tharoor wrote. The newspaper’s New Delhi Bureau chief Pranshu Verma was also laid off. 

Former editor of The Washington Post, Marty Baron, described the layoffs as the darkest day in the newspaper’s history, noting its significant contribution to American history as well.

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