Jeff Bezos-owned The Washington Post is cutting more than 300 journalists, among them almost
the entire international desk and APAC editor Anna Fifield, bureau chiefs in New Delhi, Sydney and Cairo,
correspondents in China and Turkey, and the entire Middle East reporting team.
Journalists posting on X said the sweeping round of layoffs will effectively end the paper’s ability to report independently from large parts of the Global South.
Executive editor Matt Murray said the layoffs were intended to bring “stability” to the newsroom. Expectedly, the announcement drew condemnation from employees and several former leaders, one of whom described it as among the “darkest days in the history” of the newspaper.
Murray said that while the Post’s international coverage team will be scaled back, approximately 12 bureaus will remain “with a focus on national security issues.”
The layoffs are the latest in a series of staff reductions and buyouts at the newspaper in recent years, as it grapples with falling subscriptions and financial pressure.
The Post was rocked by a wave of cancellations from digital subscribers and a series of resignations from columnists shortly before the 2024 U.S. presidential election after owner Jeff Bezos announced his decision to block an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
The Post’s struggles contrast with The New York Times, which said on February 4, it added about 1.4 million subscribers in 2025.
Employees affected by the layoffs will remain on payroll until April 10 but will not be required to work as per media reports. They will receive six months of continued health insurance coverage.
Source: Campaign Asia-Pacific
