Sally Buzbee, The Washington Post’s first female editor-in-chief, has abruptly stepped down after three years in the position, CEO William Lewis announced Sunday.
Lewis notified staff in an email on Sunday evening that Buzbee was stepping down and that Matt Murray, a former editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal, would succeed him. According to the Washington Post.
The move marks the biggest personnel change at the embattled newspaper since Lewis took over as CEO in January.
According to a report from The Washington Post, Lewis told employees he plans to launch “a new division of the newsroom” by the end of the year that will focus on “service and social media journalism” targeted at readers “who want to consume and pay for news in ways other than traditional reporting.”
The new project will “bring engaging, inspiring and accurate news to the millions of Americans who feel traditional news isn’t right for them but still want to stay informed, wherever they are, in the style they want,” he wrote.
Lewis said he would head the new division after the November presidential election, while Telegraph Media Group veteran Robert Winnett would take on the newly created role of editor-in-chief.
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Before taking over the reins at The Washington Post following the retirement of Marty Baron, Buzbee had served as editor in chief and senior vice president of The Associated Press since early 2017, overseeing the AP’s extensive global news operations.
In 2019, under her direction, The Associated Press’s in-depth investigation into atrocities in the Yemen war won a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.
Buzbee’s departure comes as the Paper is in deep financial trouble, having lost $77 million last year, according to its own reporting.
The Washington Post offered buyouts to hundreds of employees in October as part of a dramatic effort to cut costs.
The New York Post has reached out to Buzbee for comment.
