{"id":120176,"date":"2026-02-07T18:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T23:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/washington-post-ceo-steps-downs-amid-onslaught-of-backlash-following-mass-layoffs-120176"},"modified":"2026-02-07T18:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T23:29:08","slug":"washington-post-ceo-steps-downs-amid-onslaught-of-backlash-following-mass-layoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/washington-post-ceo-steps-downs-amid-onslaught-of-backlash-following-mass-layoffs-120176","title":{"rendered":"Washington Post CEO steps downs amid onslaught of backlash following mass layoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Washington Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis announced he is stepping down amid the mounting backlash he has faced in recent days after the paper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/washington-post-closes-sports-department-part-sweeping-layoffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced mass layoffs<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside,&#8221; Lewis said in a memo to staff Saturday, shared on X by Washington Post reporter Matt Viser. &#8220;I want to thank Jeff Bezos for this support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The institution could not have a better owner.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Lewis continued, &#8220;During my tenure, 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/washington-posts-top-editor-backs-bezos-critics-lash-out-over-struggling-papers-layoffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>WASHINGTON POST&#8217;S TOP EDITOR BACKS JEFF BEZOS AS CRITICS LASH OUT OVER STRUGGLING PAPER&#8217;S LAYOFFS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jeff D\u2019Onofrio, who joined the paper last June as its Chief Financial Officer, has been tapped as its acting CEO and publisher effective immediately, according to a press release from the Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Post\u2019s resolute commitment to writing the first rough draft of history anchors and imprints its future,&#8221; D\u2019Onofrio said in the press release. &#8220;I am honored to become part of charting that future and to take the lead in securing both the legacy and business of this fierce, storied American institution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/washington-post-top-editor-admits-morale-issues-plagued-paper-long-before-brutal-layoffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>WASHINGTON POST TOP EDITOR ADMITS MORALE ISSUES PLAGUED PAPER LONG BEFORE BRUTAL LAYOFFS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Washington Post owner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/jeff-bezos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeff Bezos<\/a> said, &#8220;The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus. Jeff, along with [Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray and opinion editor Adam O&#8217;Neal], are positioned to lead The Post into an exciting and thriving next chapter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Lewis, as well as Bezos, drew intense backlash for appearing absent as Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray was tasked to announce sweeping layoffs Wednesday that impacted a third of all employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News Digital<\/a>, Murray defended both Bezos and Lewis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The first time I heard the words \u2018Save the Post\u2019 used, it was from the mouth of Jeff Bezos,&#8221; Murray said, pointing to his exchange with New York Times\u2019 Andrew Ross Sorkin in December 2024. &#8220;I think people have different definitions of what that means but together, we all share the common desire for a thriving Post that\u2019s growing again, that\u2019s on sounder financial footing and in a good position to become more relevant to people\u2019s lives. And that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re all trying to get to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Will has been engaged with me very closely on this for a long time,&#8221; Murray said of Lewis. &#8220;And there were a lot of things that the company did and Will was engaged with all across the company, and I wasn&#8217;t. He had a lot of things to tend to today.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/washington-post-joins-other-news-outlets-laying-off-race-based-journalists\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>WASHINGTON POST JOINS OTHER \u00a0NEWS OUTLETS IN LAYING OFF RACE-BASED JOURNALISTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Lewis&#8217; tenure at the Post got off to a rocky start when he bluntly told staff, &#8220;People are not reading your stuff.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are going to turn this thing around, but let\u2019s not sugarcoat it. It needs turning around,&#8221; Lewis said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/wapo-boss-sounds-alarm-over-dwindling-audience-heated-staff-meeting-people-reading-your-stuff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">during a June 2024 meeting<\/a>. &#8220;We are losing large amounts of money. Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff. Right. I can\u2019t sugarcoat it anymore.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Washington Post staffers previously spoke about his lack of presence in the newsroom, particularly after he made those comments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lewis further inflamed backlash against him following the layoffs after he was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NickiJhabvala\/status\/2019568890473508935\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">spotted<\/a> at a pre-Super Bowl event Thursday in San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/washington-post-ceo-steps-downs-amid-onslaught-backlash-following-mass-layoffs\">Source &#8211; https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/washington-post-ceo-steps-downs-amid-onslaught-backlash-following-mass-layoffs <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis announced he is stepping down amid the mounting backlash he has faced in recent days after the paper [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-120176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - 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