The Washington Post will conduct layoffs in the coming year, publisher Fred Ryan told employees during a town hall on Wednesday. Video taken from the in-person town hall at the newspaper’s downtown Washington D.C. headquarters show frustrated employees peppering Ryan with questions about how the newsroom will be effected and demanding a justification for the cuts.
Kathy Baird, chief communications officer at the Post, told The Hill on Wednesday afternoon the company anticipates the coming job cuts “will be a single digit percentage of our employee base, and we will finalize those plans over the coming weeks.”
“The Washington Post is evolving and transforming to put our business in the best position for future growth. We are planning to direct our resources and invest in coverage, products, and people in service of providing high value to our subscribers and new audiences. As a result, a number of positions will be eliminated,” Baird said. “This will not be a net reduction in Post headcount. Recently, we have made some of the largest investments in The Post’s history and 2023 will be another year of continued investment.”
“But after brutal layoffs, we want answers about WaPo’s future,” the union said. “Democracy Dies in Darkness, right?”
