Bob Woodward warned that The Washington Post’s recent layoffs — roughly 300 jobs, about one-third of the newsroom — will reduce coverage and harm readers. He pledged to fight for the newspaper he’s called his professional home since 1971. Executive Editor Matt Murray described the cuts as a repositioning amid a more competitive media landscape, while former editor Marty Baron condemned the reductions as a dark moment for the institution. The story notes Jeff Bezos’s 2013 purchase of the paper and remembers a prior non-endorsement decision that contributed to subscription losses.
Bob Woodward: Washington Post’s Massive Layoffs Will Harm Readers — Vows To Fight For His ‘Professional Home’
Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward, an associate editor at The Washington Post, warned on X that the paper’s recent, large-scale layoffs will reduce coverage and hurt readers — and he pledged to fight to defend the newsroom he has called his “professional home.”
Woodward, who joined The Post in 1971, wrote that the newspaper has been his workplace for 55 years and that he is “crushed” by the loss of so many colleagues. He said readers now receive less reporting and analysis and that they “deserve more.”
About the Cuts
The staff-wide announcement, delivered Wednesday by Executive Editor Matt Murray, outlined reductions of roughly 300 positions — about one-third of The Washington Post’s workforce — with sports coverage described as especially hard hit. Murray framed the reductions as an effort to reposition the newsroom “to become more essential to people’s lives” amid a “more crowded, competitive, and complicated media landscape.”
Reaction and Resolve
“The Washington Post has been my professional home for 55 years. I believe in it. I love it. I am crushed that so many of my beloved colleagues have lost their jobs and our readers have been given less news and sound analysis,” Woodward wrote. “I will do everything in my power to help make sure The Washington Post thrives and survives.”
Woodward acknowledged Murray’s leadership, noting that under him the newsroom has produced many “superb and excellent ground‑breaking stories,” and expressed hope that there will be more to come despite the cuts.
Context
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos purchased The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million. Former Executive Editor Marty Baron, opposing the layoffs, said Bezos once spoke passionately about the importance of a free press and suggested that such a commitment is not evident today. Baron described the staff reductions as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.”
The article also recalls that shortly before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, The Washington Post decided not to endorse a candidate — a departure from long-standing practice reportedly made by Bezos — which coincided with the loss of tens of thousands of subscriptions. At that time, Woodward and fellow Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein called the non-endorsement “disappointing.”
Woodward’s post directly addressed the human and editorial impact of the layoffs and reaffirmed his commitment to defending the newsroom where he has worked for more than five decades.
Source: Mediaite (original report)
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