Washington Post publisher Will Lewis resigns after mass newsroom cuts

Will Lewis resigned as publisher and chief executive of The Washington Post on Saturday, a sudden departure that followed sweeping layoffs earlier in the week that removed roughly one‑third of the newsroom and cut more than 300 journalistic roles. Jeff D’Onofrio, the paper’s chief financial officer, will serve as acting publisher and CEO immediately, the company said in internal communications.

Lewis framed his exit as the end of a transition period. In a staff note he wrote, “After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside.” He thanked the owner, writing, “I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The institution could not have a better owner.” Lewis added that “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.” He signed off, “With gratitude, Will.”

The leadership change crystallizes internal turmoil that has built during Lewis’s tenure, which most accounts place beginning in November 2023. Editorial upheaval included the resignation of Executive Editor Sally Buzbee in June 2024 amid clashes over newsroom restructuring, and a failed plan to build a separate “third newsroom” focused on video and social distribution. The layoff announcement was delivered to editorial staff on a Zoom call by Executive Editor Matt Murray; Lewis did not appear on that call, a fact that drew criticism from some staffers.

D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr chief executive who joined the Post as chief financial officer in June, framed his immediate priorities in a memo to staff around business fundamentals and audience focus. “I’m honored to take the helm as acting Publisher and CEO to lead us into a sustainable, successful future with the strength of our journalism as our north star,” he wrote. He added operational language signaling a data-driven approach: as he told employees, “customer data will drive our decisions,” and he pledged the newsroom’s “uncompromising, fearless journalism” would remain the organization’s guiding principle.

The scale of the cuts and the abrupt executive turnover underscore the economic pressures facing legacy news organizations. Company communications and outside observers have described The Post as a money-losing enterprise that must be repositioned to stabilize finances. The recent round of job reductions reportedly scaled back foreign news coverage and shuttered some sections, including sports, while eliminating roles across reporting and production. Estimates place the headcount reduction at roughly one‑third of the newsroom, with numerical citations ranging from about 300 to more than 300 positions.

For markets and public-policy watchers, the shift raises questions about the trade-offs between cost containment and the capacity to produce the breadth of reporting that large national outlets have historically provided. Reduced foreign bureaus and less specialty coverage could narrow the range of watchdog reporting at a time when local and international news are critical to democratic accountability. Investors and advertisers monitor audience engagement and subscription trends; further reductions in content could risk erosion of subscription revenue even as cost cutting improves near‑term firm economics.

The immediate practical questions for The Post include whether D’Onofrio will pursue additional restructurings, how swiftly a permanent publisher will be chosen, and whether the newsroom can sustain investigative and foreign reporting at the reduced scale. For the broader industry, the episode is another indicator of long-term pressures: structural declines in advertising, the uneven pace of subscription growth, and continued consolidation and staffing retrenchment at major outlets.