The Washington Post reported that its publisher and CEO, William Lewis, delivered a blunt message to staff during a tense meeting following the abrupt firing of editor-in-chief Sally Busbee.
Lewis notified staff on Sunday night that Buzbee, who joined The Washington Post in 2021, would be leaving the paper “effective immediately.” He named former Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Matt Murray as Buzbee’s interim replacement, expected to serve in the role through the 2024 election cycle, and announced he was restructuring the paper into “three newsrooms” in an effort to turn around the struggling publication, which he called “democracy dies in darkness.”
The Washington Post report On Monday, Mr. Buzbee offered her a position in a new division of the company, saying he was “uncomfortable with the organizational structure and didn’t believe he could be effective in that role.” Mr. Buzbee also reportedly urged Ms. Lewis to hold off on implementing such changes until after the election, but Mr. Lewis refused.
According to The Washington Post, the dramatic change “sent chaos through the newsroom.”
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The Washington Post’s editor-in-chief, Sally Buzbee, abruptly left the paper after reportedly clashing with its publisher over the paper’s restructuring. (Javin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Lewis, a British media executive who joined the Post earlier this year, spoke about the restructuring at a tense editorial meeting on Monday, delivering a harsh assessment of the paper’s current state in what was described as a “heated exchange” with staff.
“Lewis warned that editorial staff cannot afford to resist change, saying ‘decisive and urgent’ action was needed to survive upheaval in the media industry and recent declines in subscribers and revenue,” the Post reported.
“We’re going to turn this around, but we can’t take it lightly. We need to turn it around,” Lewis said. “We’re losing a lot of money. Our readership has been cut in half over the last few years. People aren’t reading your stories. So yeah, we can’t take it lightly anymore.”
Another staffer accused Mr Lewis of choosing two “buddies” as editors of the Washington Post: Mr Murray, who worked with Mr Lewis at The Wall Street Journal, and Robert Winnett, his former colleague at The Daily Telegraph.
“In the most cynical interpretation, you picked two of your buddies to help run The Washington Post,” the staffer said, “and now you have four white guys running three newsrooms.”
Washington Post President Sally Buzbee is facing internal conflict and has been told she doesn’t have employees’ trust, reports say
“People aren’t reading your stories,” Washington Post Publisher and CEO William Lewis bluntly told staff at a meeting on Monday. (Elliot O’Donovan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
As Lewis alluded to, The Washington Post has struggled in recent years, especially financially: The Jeff Bezos-owned paper is on track to lose more than $70 million in 2023 and has lost 50% of its readership in the same period, according to The New York Times.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Post implemented staff buyouts to prevent mass layoffs. Among those bought out was Media reporter Paul Farhi., Columnist Greg Sargent and senior editor Mark Fisher, who recently returned as deputy editor and columnist.
Fox News Digital interviewed several current and former Washington Post staffers last year to highlight the malaise that has plagued the newsroom, many of whom suggested it began when Buzbee took over as editor-in-chief.
Washington Post continues talent exodus as top editor announces departure
The Washington Post has faced internal conflicts in recent years, including tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue. (Eric Baradat/AFP)
Lewis’ restructuring plan involves splitting the paper’s staff into three newsrooms: “Core,” which is essentially the news team, opinion, and “service/social,” which is focused on reader acquisition.
“By building three strong journalism capabilities — core, service/social and opinion — we are taking a decisive step away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and moving toward meeting readers where they are,” Lewis said in a statement Sunday.
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