Washington Post turmoil: Layoffs deepen financial crisis
The owner of the "Washington Post," Jeff Bezos, announced the layoff of about four percent of the newspaper's employees, approximately 100 people, reported the BBC News portal on Wednesday. Media sources suggest that this decision will likely worsen the already serious crisis in the newspaper's editorial office.
According to the BBC, the job cuts at the "Washington Post" are expected to affect employees responsible for the newspaper's financial performance primarily. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, explains the necessity of the layoffs as a measure to curb the newspaper's mounting losses.
Competing media note that the announcement of layoffs at the "Washington Post" coincides with major turmoil in the editorial office.
Over the weekend, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned from the newspaper. She made this decision in protest against the refusal to publish her cartoon, which depicted Bezos and other American business magnates kneeling before a statue of President-elect Donald Trump.
Prestigious newspaper in crisis
The crisis within the newspaper and surrounding it has escalated for over a year. In 2023, the "Washington Post" recorded losses of CA$105 million and experienced a significant decline in the number of website readers, with previous years further deepening these trends.
Additionally, in response to the newspaper's failure to unequivocally endorse Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris during the U.S. presidential election campaign, 250,000 subscribers cancelled their subscriptions. In protest, several well-known journalists also left the newspaper, including Editor-in-Chief Matea Gold and investigative reporter Josh Dawsey. Bezos explained at the time that he made this decision to avoid exacerbating media bias.
The BBC highlights that last month, the owner of Amazon announced his company would donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.
