According to a report, the Washington Post experienced significant losses exceeding $100 million in 2025, following nearly $80 million in losses in both 2023 and 2024.
In total, this adds up to a staggering $250 million over three years, which, if I remember correctly, doesn’t quite add up well.
Well, I suppose this is what happens when people lose trust in your product.
Owner Jeff Bezos seems to have grown weary of financially supporting what he perceives as a dysfunctional and untrustworthy workforce. This year saw massive layoffs in the newsroom, with reports indicating that between 350 and 375 employees, around 45 percent of the newsroom staff, were let go.
Interestingly enough, the new leadership looks quite similar to the previous one. Recently, acting CEO and publisher Jeff D’Onofrio, along with editor-in-chief Matt Murray, conducted the first staff meeting since these layoffs, discussing the paper’s financial struggles which they attributed to “years of overspending and declining productivity.”
D’Onofrio shared with the newsroom staff that expenses had outstripped revenues from 2022 to 2025 due to the hiring sprees of previous years.
Now here’s where it gets a bit more intriguing…
D’Onofrio indicated that while newsroom costs have dropped by 42% since 2020, they actually rose by 16% in 2025 compared to the 2020 figures. So, it’s worth examining that further.
If you think back, those “hundreds” hired by 2022 coincided with the latter part of President Trump’s first term and what many refer to as the Great Awakening.
Yes, it was during that time when the Post doubled down on its narrative, bringing in numerous employees aimed at countering a certain political faction.
But, did they yield any return? The answer seems to be a resounding no, as evidenced by a 42% drop in productivity.
In simpler terms, many of these individuals might not have been pulling their weight.
As the layoffs occurred, the reaction online often highlighted just how many of these former employees had been unproductive. A glance at their bylines reveals a couple of articles a month, often with assistance from others sharing the credit.
Oh, and quite a few of those articles dealt with either sensationalized claims about Trump or rather trivial topics.
It appears that deceit and a lack of effort don’t resonate well with readers.
Interestingly, there seems to be no indication of D’Onofrio recognizing the root of the problem.
Quite frankly, it’s clear that a platform catering solely to a specific political narrative isn’t exactly a winning formula. If things don’t change, the Post might continue along this downward path.
