Washington Post's publisher steps down after the newspaper's massive layoffs

The renowned Washington Post's publisher Will Lewis is stepping down, ending a troubled tenure three days after the newspaper said it was laying off one-third of its staff.

Lewis announced his departure in a two-paragraph email to the newspaper's staff, saying that after 2 years of transformation, "now it is the right time for me to step aside."

The cuts came on top of widespread talent defections in recent years at the newspaper, which lost tens of thousands of subscribers following owner Jeff Bezos' order late in the 2024 presidential campaign pulling back from a planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, and a subsequent reorienting of its opinion section in a more conservative direction.

A reporter from the Associated Press said, "A tumultuous week at the Washington Post continued on Saturday. The newspaper's publisher and CEO Will Lewis announced that he was stepping down. He will be replaced by the paper's chief financial officer. His announcement in a quick email to staff members came only three days after the Post announced that it was laying off fully 1/3 of its staff members. The deep cutbacks include the elimination of its sports department and all of its photo staff, as well as a lot of reporters who cover overseas news and metro news in Washington."