The Washington Post held a “town hall” yesterday to deliver bad news to their staff. Publisher Fred Ryan refused to take any questions from the crowd and announced that an unspecified number of positions would be eliminated. The layoffs appear to be targeting liberal activists, but it is unclear if the upcoming GOP takeover of the House has anything to do with the decision.
The news was met with outrage from Washington Post staff. Many felt that they were not given enough information and were left in the dark regarding the future of their job. Questions were left unanswered and many were left feeling vulnerable and uncertain.
The layoffs come at a crucial time for the Washington Post, as the GOP is poised to take control of the House. The layoffs could be a way for the Post to cut back on staff that may be considered too liberal or not in-line
“We anticipate it will be a single digit percentage of our employee base, and we will finalize those plans over the coming weeks. This will not be a net reduction in Post headcount” Baird said.
In statement, WaPo's chief spokesperson @@kathymbaird confirms "a number of positions will be eliminated," resulting in a single digit cut to its workforce.
"This will not be a net reduction in Post headcount," Baird adds, saying the paper will invest in certain areas in 2023. pic.twitter.com/dA05Vj8gR8
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) December 14, 2022
Publisher Fred Ryan announced the news to staffers Wednesday, prompting employees to erupt with questions. “We’re not gonna turn the TownHall into a grievance session, I’m sorry,” Ryan said.
“That’s not a grievance session, it’s a question,” one employee shot back.
NEW: @washingtonpost publisher Fred Ryan refuses to take staff questions after announcing Q1 layoffs in “Town Hall” @postguild pic.twitter.com/C4HOXb6y2C
— Annie Gowen (@anniegowen) December 14, 2022
Washington Post has no released an official statement explaining all of their recent plans for layoff. The did just push a massive layoff in the magazine end of their business. The bottom line, whatever is going on, they’re clearly not doing will.
It’s almost too easy to speculate that these new changes are related to the turn in political power. With Republicans securing the House in January—I think WaPo sees the writing on the wall and intends to fall the hell back in line.