According to an internal memo, The Washington Post lay off 20 staffers in its newsroom on Tuesday.
The executive editor, Sally Buzbee, stated in the note that the firm had identified 30 unfilled positions that would not be filled.
“Newsroom executives made these decisions following a careful and deliberate examination of our present roles and open positions,” Ms. Buzbee wrote.
People who had been laid off, she said, were able to apply for open positions.
“While such adjustments are difficult, evolution is required for us to remain competitive, and the economic backdrop has led our decision to act now,” Ms. Buzbee explained. “We believe these efforts will ultimately assist us to fulfill our purpose to investigate power and empower readers. We do not intend to cut any more jobs at this time.”
Since Mr. Ryan announced layoffs last month, approximately 60 employees have joined the union.
The Post has been dealing with stagnant subscriber growth and declining ad revenue in recent months, as well as friction between its newsroom and leadership. The company lost money last year, and it already has fewer subscribers than it did at the end of 2020.
The layoffs followed a rare visit to The Post’s newsroom by its owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Mr. Bezos attended a news conference and spoke with senior executives last week. As Mr. Bezos was leaving the meeting, a member of the staff approached him and inquired why The Post wasn’t granting employees buyouts before laying off workers.
According to three people with knowledge of the decision, the layoffs impacted multiple divisions, including The Post’s metro team. According to another source with knowledge of the changes, the online gaming vertical Launcher was shut down, as was KidsPost, a component of the newspaper for children. There are about 1,000 people working in the newsroom.
The Post sent an email to staff members on Tuesday regarding the hiring of three new journalists, while still in the process of notifying others who had lost their jobs.
