“I’m angry”: several hundred people demonstrated against massive layoffs at the Washington Post

Hundreds of people demonstrated Thursday in front of the offices of the Washington Post against the decision of the daily newspaper in the American capital, in financial difficulty, to separate from a large part of its editorial staff. “Democracy dies in obscurity. And you, Jeff Bezos, turned out the light,” one sign read, referring to the newspaper’s slogan and its multi-billionaire owner.

The Washington Post fired hundreds of journalists on Wednesday, a decision that comes against the backdrop of the Amazon founder’s rapprochement with US President Donald Trump, who has increased attacks against the traditional press since his return to power.

“At a time when we are seeing unprecedented attacks on the press, as well as negative sentiment towards journalists simply because they are doing their job, it is dangerous to reduce staff in this way,” said Michael Brice-Saddler, who covered the American capital for the newspaper before being fired.

“These cuts are not the fault of our teams, and yet they are the ones paying the high price. They are losing resources, they are losing the ability to tell stories that matter to Washington,” he adds.

300 journalists fired from the Washington Post

The Washington Post did not reveal the number of positions eliminated, but approximately 300 journalists out of 800 would be affected, according to the New York Times. Many of the foreign correspondents, including in the Middle East and Ukraine, were dismissed. Sports, books, podcasts, local pages and infographics services are also particularly affected or almost entirely eliminated.

“Yesterday was heartbreaking. Today, I’m just angry,” says Sarah Kaplan, who is one of those whose position was preserved. “I don’t deny that the Post is going through a difficult financial situation, I know it’s a very tough time for the entire media industry, but the fact that we are losing so much money is largely due to very poor management on the part of our leaders,” judges this journalist specializing in climate.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the newspaper would have lost around $100 million in 2024, amid falling advertising revenues and subscriptions. The refusal of the daily, traditionally classified on the left, to support Democrat Kamala Harris during the last presidential election notably led to the departure of around 250,000 digital subscribers, according to the same source. Many had seen the hand of Jeff Bezos, who appeared a year ago in the front row of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony.

Investigative journalist fired by the daily, Marissa Lang believes that the consequences of the cuts announced Wednesday are still difficult to assess. But “the impact of losing 300 journalists who hold power to account, investigate corruption, tell you what’s happening in war zones abroad, or tell you whether your children’s schools will be open after it snows, is immeasurable,” she said.