Share and Follow
The Washington Post is undergoing significant leadership changes as its publisher and CEO, Will Lewis, announced his resignation amidst a wave of layoffs at the company. This news was shared with the staff via an email from Lewis on Saturday, according to a report by The New York Times.
In his message, Lewis expressed that it was an appropriate moment for him to step down, extending his gratitude to the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, for his support and leadership. “Throughout my time here, we’ve made challenging decisions aimed at securing a sustainable future for The Post, allowing us to continue delivering high-quality, nonpartisan journalism to millions daily,” Lewis stated.
Lewis, who came on board in 2023 at the behest of Bezos, has remained a steadfast supporter of the billionaire’s often debated transformations within the newsroom.
This leadership transition follows a significant reduction in staff, with hundreds of journalists laid off on Wednesday. The cuts notably included the entire staff of the sports and books sections. Executive Editor Matt Murray described these layoffs as part of a “strategic reset” for the publication.
The newspaper’s leadership laid off hundreds of journalists on Wednesday, including the entirety of the newspaper’s sports and books sections. Post executive editor Matt Murray called the decision a “strategic reset.”
The paper announced Saturday that Jeff D’Onofrio will serve as the paper’s acting publisher and CEO in the wake of Lewis’s departure.
Before joining the Post as its chief financial officer in June, D’Onofrio held leadership roles at Tumblr, Raptive, Yahoo and Google, according to the outlet’s announcement. The new publisher addressed the change in an internal email to Post employees on Saturday, which was shared with the Hill.
“This is a challenging time across all media organizations, and The Post is unfortunately no exception,” D’Onofrio wrote. “I’ve had the privilege of helping chart the course of disrupters and cultural stalwarts alike. All faced economic headwinds in changing industry landscapes, and we rose to meet those moments. I have no doubt we will do just that, together.”
D’Onofrio said he was “honored” to take on the role and pledged to guide the company “into a sustainable, successful future with the strength of our journalism as our north star.”