The Washington Post informed its staff on Wednesday that it would begin a wide round of layoffs. Changes are expected to affect the organization’s sports coverage, both local and international.
According to two people familiar with the details of the decision, the company will lay off around 30 percent of its employees. They said this includes people working in the commercial area and more than 300 of its nearly 800 journalists.
The cuts are a sign that Jeff Bezos, who became one of the richest people in the world by selling products online, has still not figured out how to build and maintain a profitable online publication. During the early years of his ownership, the newspaper expanded, but recently the company has lost momentum.
Matt Murray, executive editor of the Post, said on Wednesday morning in a phone call with newsroom employees that the company had lost too much money for too long and had not met the needs of readers. He explained that all sections would be affected in some way, and that the outcome would be a publication focused even more on national news and politics, as well as on business and health, and much less on other areas.
