Washington, Feb 8 (V7N) — The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its Chief Executive Officer and Publisher Will Lewis has stepped down with immediate effect, just days after the newspaper carried out sweeping job cuts that sparked strong backlash from readers and staff.

The decision comes amid growing criticism of Lewis’s two-year tenure, during which he attempted to stem financial losses at the iconic daily owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Despite broader struggles facing the US newspaper industry, Lewis’s management approach drew sharp disapproval from journalists and subscribers alike.

Lewis has been replaced by Jeff D’Onofrio, a former chief executive of social media platform Tumblr, who joined the Post last year as chief financial officer. The newspaper confirmed that D’Onofrio assumed the role “effective immediately.”

In an email circulated among staff and later shared on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

Earlier this week, the Post announced major layoffs affecting hundreds of journalists. While the newspaper did not disclose official figures, US media reports said around 300 of its roughly 800 journalists were let go. Those affected included most overseas correspondents, local and sports reporters, as well as the entire Middle East team and the Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent.

Several departments, including sports, graphics and local news, were significantly downsized, and the paper’s daily podcast Post Reports was suspended. The cuts prompted a protest on Thursday outside the newspaper’s headquarters in downtown Washington, attended by hundreds.

The Post’s struggles reflect wider challenges facing US newspapers as advertising revenue and subscriptions decline amid competition from digital platforms. However, critics note that rival outlets such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have managed to remain financially stable.

Lewis and owner Jeff Bezos have also faced scrutiny over alleged interference in editorial matters. Bezos previously curtailed the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial stance and blocked an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election, a move widely seen as undermining editorial independence.

According to media reports, the decision not to endorse Harris led to a loss of around 250,000 digital subscribers. The Post reportedly posted losses of about $100 million in 2024 as both advertising and subscription revenues declined.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the recent layoffs as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.”

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