"Lewis announced his departure in a two-paragraph email to the newspaper's staff, saying that after two years of transformation, "now is the right time for me to step aside." The Post's chief financial officer, Jeff D'Onofrio, was appointed temporary publisher. Neither Lewis nor the newspaper's billionaire owner Jeff Bezos participated in the meeting with staff members announcing the layoffs on Wednesday. While anticipated, the cutbacks were deeper than expected, resulting in the shutdown of the Post's renowned sports section, the elimination of its photography staff and sharp reductions in personnel responsible for coverage of metropolitan Washington and overseas."
"They came on top of widespread talent defections in recent years at the newspaper, which lost tens of thousands of subscribers following 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. Martin Baron, the Post's first editor under Bezos, condemned his former boss this week for attempting to curry favor with President Donald Trump and called what has happened at the newspaper "a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.""
"The British-born Lewis was a former top executive at The Wall Street Journal before taking over at The Post in January 2024. His tenure has been rocky from the start, marked by layoffs and a failed reorganization plan that led to the departure of former top editor Sally Buzbee. His initial choice to take over for Buzbee, Robert Winnett, withdrew from the job after ethical questions were raised about both he and Lewis' actions while working in England. They include paying for information that produced major stories, actions"
Will Lewis is stepping down as Washington Post publisher after two years, notifying staff by email and handing the role temporarily to CFO Jeff D'Onofrio. The newspaper announced layoffs that cut about one-third of its staff, closed the sports section, eliminated the photography unit and reduced metropolitan and overseas coverage. The reductions followed years of talent departures and a loss of tens of thousands of subscribers after an aborted endorsement decision and a conservative shift in the opinion section. Former editor Martin Baron sharply criticized moves seen as courting President Trump. Lewis' tenure included a failed reorganization and ethical questions tied to hiring choices.
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