Will Lewis has resigned as publisher and CEO of The Washington Post shortly after layoffs cut about one-third of the newsroom. Jeff D’Onofrio, formerly CEO of Tumblr, was named acting publisher and will assume the role immediately. Lewis — hired by Jeff Bezos in late 2023 to reverse declines in readership and address heavy losses — faced criticism over his handling of the cuts and his absence during the layoffs. The Post Guild condemned his tenure and urged Bezos to rescind the layoffs or sell the paper.
Will Lewis Resigns as Publisher and CEO of The Washington Post After Mass Layoffs
Will Lewis in London, in 2023. Carlotta Cardana/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Carlotta Cardana / Bloomberg via Getty Images file)(Carlotta Cardana)
Will Lewis has resigned as publisher and chief executive of The Washington Post, a move announced days after layoffs eliminated roughly one-third of the paper’s newsroom.
Advertising executive Jeff D’Onofrio, formerly chief executive of art-and-fandom platform Tumblr, was named acting publisher and CEO and will assume the role immediately, the newspaper said.
In a brief email to staff on Saturday, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside” and thanked owner Jeff Bezos. He framed his tenure as one of difficult but necessary decisions to secure the paper’s long-term future:
"During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day."
Lewis, a veteran British media executive, was recruited by Bezos in late 2023. Bezos, who acquired the newspaper in 2013 for roughly $250 million, had charged Lewis with reversing steep readership declines and addressing annual losses reportedly in the tens of millions.
But Lewis drew sharp criticism for his handling of newsroom changes and for appearing to be absent during the layoffs — attending a red-carpet NFL event in California during the Super Bowl buildup while staff were being let go. Post economics reporter Jeff Stein highlighted the contrast on X between Lewis’s public appearances and the plight of laid-off colleagues such as Lizzie Johnson, who reported from Ukraine and filed dispatches in pencil because ink can freeze in cold conditions.
The Washington Post Guild, which said it represented more than 1,000 employees before the cuts, condemned Lewis’s tenure on X, writing that his exit was "long overdue" and calling his legacy the "attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution." The union urged Bezos to rescind the layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future.
Attempts to reach Lewis for further comment were unsuccessful.
D’Onofrio takes the reins at an institution long known for influential investigative reporting and beat coverage of the federal government. The Post and its journalists have won dozens of Pulitzer Prizes; its reporting on the Watergate scandal helped lead to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
In his first public remarks since the layoffs, Bezos said the newspaper “has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity,” and added that “Jeff, along with [executive editor] Matt [Murray] and [opinion editor] Adam [O’Neal], are positioned to lead the Post into an exciting and thriving next chapter.” Lewis was not mentioned in that statement.
Earlier in June 2024, the Post’s executive editor Sally Buzbee abruptly resigned after Lewis announced plans to restructure the newsroom — a further sign of turmoil at the paper amid the staff reductions.
As D’Onofrio steps in, the Post faces the immediate task of restoring newsroom morale and charting a financial and editorial strategy that balances cost pressures with maintaining the investigative journalism that built its reputation.
Help us improve.
