Ashley Parker: The Murder of The Washington Post

[demmiblue]

We’re witnessing a murder.

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, and Will Lewis, the publisher he appointed at the end of 2023, are embarking on the latest step of their plan to kill everything that makes the paper special. The Post has survived for nearly 150 years, evolving from a hometown family newspaper into an indispensable national institution, and a pillar of the democratic system. But if Bezos and Lewis continue down their present path, it may not survive much longer.

Over recent years, they’ve repeatedly cut the newsroom—killing its Sunday magazine, reducing the staff by several hundred, nearly halving the Metro desk—without acknowledging the poor business decisions that led to this moment or providing a clear vision for the future. This morning, executive editor Matt Murray and HR chief Wayne Connell told the newsroom staff in an early-morning virtual meeting that it was closing the Sports department and Books section, ending its signature podcast, and dramatically gutting the International and Metro departments, in addition to staggering cuts across all teams. Post leadership—which did not even have the courage to address their staff in person—then left everyone to wait for an email letting them know whether or not they had a job. (Lewis, who has already earned a reputation for showing up late to work when he showed up at all, did not join the Zoom.)

The Post may yet rise, but this will be their enduring legacy.

What’s happening to the Post is a public tragedy, but for me, it is also very personal. When my parents’ basement recently flooded, amid the waterlogged boxes of old photos and vinyl records, we found my younger sister’s baby book. There, on a page reserved for memories from the month she was born—news about visits from doting grandparents, perhaps, or descriptions of her mewling gurgles—my dad had filled the lines with news from our hometown paper, The Washington Post.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/02/washington-post-layoffs-bezos/685872/

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Could this create room for a second major DC-based paper (as WaPo ceases to be major)?

Maybe even a franchise from an established chain .....

Off-the-wall idea: USA Today inaugurates a "DC edition" which circulates in DC/MD/VA. Many hotels provide UT to their guests already, so there's an almost guaranteed market right there. It could get up and running pretty quick -- might not last -- but if successful, could be spun off to semi-independence.

[pat_k]

2. Bezos' systematic destruction is a monstrous desecration of Katherine Graham's legacy.

Remember the letter he sent to WaPo employees after he bought it?

...
Journalism plays a critical role in a free society, and The Washington Post -- as the hometown paper of the capital city of the United States -- is especially important. I would highlight two kinds of courage the Grahams have shown as owners that I hope to channel. The first is the courage to say wait, be sure, slow down, get another source. Real people and their reputations, livelihoods and families are at stake. The second is the courage to say follow the story, no matter the cost. While I hope no one ever threatens to put one of my body parts through a wringer, if they do, thanks to Mrs. Graham’s example, I’ll be ready...

If he believed what he said then he has not only betrayed the legacy of the Grahams, he has sold his own soul.

Whatever, it is tragic, enraging, appalling... I am running out of words to capture the power of my reaction to horror after horror in these insane times.