Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments is being laid off

The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a brutal blow at one of journalism's most legendary brands.

The troubled Post began implementing large-scale cutbacks on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists it stations overseas. The changes were announced by executive editor Matt Murray in a Zoom meeting with staff.

The staff reduction is a significant psychic blow at the Post, known in history books for its Watergate revelations and most recently for aggressive coverage of President Donald Trump’s cutbacks to the federal workforce, and for journalism in general.

Staff members in the newsroom were told they would be getting emails with one of two subject lines, announcing that the person’s role has or hasn’t been eliminated. A Post representative confirmed that one-third of the staff would be cut, without saying how many total employees the newspaper has.

The newspaper’s books department will be closed, and its Washington-area news department and editing staff will be restructured, Murray told staff members. Its Post Reports podcast will be suspended.

Murray acknowledged that the cuts will be a shock to the system but said the goal is to create a Post that can grow and thrive again.

“The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company," a Post spokesperson said in a statement. "These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers.”

A private company, the Post does not reveal how many subscribers it has, although the number is believed to be about 2 million.

The moves were expected for several weeks, since word leaked out that the Post had told its sports staffers who had arranged to cover the Winter Olympics in Italy that they would not be going. After it became public, the Post reversed course and said it would be sending a limited staff.

The Post’s troubles stand in contrast to its longtime competitor The New York Times, which has been thriving in recent years, in large part due to investments in ancillary products like its Games site and Wirecutter product recommendations. The Times has doubled its staff over the past decade.

In recent weeks, many Post staff members have been appealing directly to the newspaper’s owner, billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The newspaper has been bleeding subscribers in part due to decisions made by him — pulling back from an endorsement of Kamala Harris, a Democrat, during the 2024 presidential election against Trump, a Republican, and directing a more conservative turn on liberal opinion pages.

The Washington Post Guild, the union for staff members, had appealed to the public to send a message to Bezos: “Enough is enough. Without the staff of The Washington Post, there is no Washington Post.”

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

SOKOTO, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen killed at least 20 people in a village in western Nigeria, the Red Cross said Wednesday, the latest in a surge of attacks that has plagued the West African country.

Hundreds of armed men attacked the village of Woro in the state of Kwara on Tuesday evening, Ayodeji Emmanuel Babaomo, the Red Cross secretary in Kwara state, told The Associated Press.

“Based on the information we have received, scores of people were killed but we don't have an exact number yet,” he said.

Babaomo said the Red Cross has been unable to reach the affected communities because they are in a remote area — about eight hours from the state capital and near Nigeria's border with Benin.

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said in statement released Wednesday the attack was a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to ongoing military operations against armed extremists in the state. He did not provide a figure for the number of people killed. State police did not comment.

Nigeria is in the grip of a complex security crisis, with an insurgency by Islamic militants in the northeast alongside a surge in kidnappings for ransom by gunmen across the northwest and north-central regions over recent months. Intercommunal violence is also prevalent in the central states.

In a separate attack on Tuesday, gunmen killed at least 13 people in the village of Doma in the northwestern state of Katsina, police spokesman Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu said in a statement Wednesday.

Investigations were underway to determine the circumstances and identify those responsible, he added.

Last week, armed extremists in northeastern Nigeria killed at least 36 people during separate attacks on a construction site and on an army base.

On Tuesday, the head of U.S. Africa Command said the United States had sent a small team of military officers to Nigeria, the latest step in its response to the security crisis. In December, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on a cell affiliated with the Islamic State group in Nigeria.

Nigeria has been in the diplomatic crosshairs of the U.S. following threats by President Donald Trump to attack the country, alleging it is not doing enough to protect its Christian citizens.

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Shibayan reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Afolabi Sotunde contributed to this report.

FILE - Nigeria police officers stand guard during a candle light procession in honour of all protesters killed nationwide at the recently economic hardship protest, in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, file)