https://www.avclub.com/washington-post- ... ess-slogan
This shift has unfortunately been a long time coming. The paper is owned by future inauguration attendee Jeff Bezos, who refused to endorse Kamala Harris in October—a decision that led to over 200,000 cancellations, around 8% of the paper’s subscriber base (per NPR). This is in-line with Bezos’ stated goal to appeal to more conservative readers, expressing a desire to not just serve liberal coastal audiences but “people like firefighters in Cleveland,” according to the Times‘ reporting. Still, the details are pretty stomach-churning—enough to inspire a letter to Bezos signed by over 400 employees questioning “the integrity of this institution.”
Washington Post under Bezos
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88Commanders00
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Mark The Homer
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As I recall, it wasn't that the WP refused to endorse Harris. The WP refused to endorse a candidate. I think it was a business decision. The WP lost around $177 million in 2023. I think the old saying applies: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." The WP needed to do something different.
Another problem they have is I think they're afraid to raise print subscriptions. Right now it's something like $236 for 12 weeks and it's been about that much for at least a few years. I think most people translate that into under $1000 a year. When it goes over $1000 a year, it may be the psychological breaking point for many subscribers.
Also, like the NYT, WP a nationally recognized newspaper. They have extremely good writers, relative to other papers. As such, it's not just serving the DC area. If you read the letters to the editor, this is evident as many of them are from outside the DC area. Today for example: Milton, DE, Los Altos, CA, Washington, Westbury, NY, Eugene, OR, Santa Clarita, CA, Winchester, VA, Apollo, PA, Fairfax Station
Another problem they have is I think they're afraid to raise print subscriptions. Right now it's something like $236 for 12 weeks and it's been about that much for at least a few years. I think most people translate that into under $1000 a year. When it goes over $1000 a year, it may be the psychological breaking point for many subscribers.
Also, like the NYT, WP a nationally recognized newspaper. They have extremely good writers, relative to other papers. As such, it's not just serving the DC area. If you read the letters to the editor, this is evident as many of them are from outside the DC area. Today for example: Milton, DE, Los Altos, CA, Washington, Westbury, NY, Eugene, OR, Santa Clarita, CA, Winchester, VA, Apollo, PA, Fairfax Station
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/media/washington-post-layoffs/index.html
The Washington Post on Tuesday laid off roughly 100 employees across its business division, the latest indication of the newspaper’s financial woes after subscribers and staffers revolted over owner Jeff Bezos’s decision to block an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The cuts amounted to roughly 4% of the publication’s staff and did not affect the newsroom, a spokesperson for the Post said. The news, which was first reported in the Status newsletter, comes as the beleaguered newspaper has hemorrhaged several high-profile journalists in recent weeks and top candidates pulled out of the running for the Post’s executive editor job.
“The Washington Post is continuing its transformation to meet the needs of the industry, build a more sustainable future and reach audiences where they are,” a Post spokesperson told CNN. “Changes across our business functions are all in service of our greater goal to best position The Post for the future.”
The Post’s financial woes are nothing new. When Will Lewis, the Post’s publisher and chief executive, was named to the top job in November 2023, the storied paper was already reeling from the layoffs, readership decline, and high expenses that have hounded the entire industry. Yet, the extent to which the Post’s coffers had been sapped became apparent in May, when Lewis revealed the paper had lost $77 million in 2023.
Click on the link for the full article
The Washington Post on Tuesday laid off roughly 100 employees across its business division, the latest indication of the newspaper’s financial woes after subscribers and staffers revolted over owner Jeff Bezos’s decision to block an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The cuts amounted to roughly 4% of the publication’s staff and did not affect the newsroom, a spokesperson for the Post said. The news, which was first reported in the Status newsletter, comes as the beleaguered newspaper has hemorrhaged several high-profile journalists in recent weeks and top candidates pulled out of the running for the Post’s executive editor job.
“The Washington Post is continuing its transformation to meet the needs of the industry, build a more sustainable future and reach audiences where they are,” a Post spokesperson told CNN. “Changes across our business functions are all in service of our greater goal to best position The Post for the future.”
The Post’s financial woes are nothing new. When Will Lewis, the Post’s publisher and chief executive, was named to the top job in November 2023, the storied paper was already reeling from the layoffs, readership decline, and high expenses that have hounded the entire industry. Yet, the extent to which the Post’s coffers had been sapped became apparent in May, when Lewis revealed the paper had lost $77 million in 2023.
Click on the link for the full article
In terms of a different direction for the WaPo, we’ve seen a hint when the current owner’s plastic girlfriend shows up to a presidential inauguration wearing lingerie and getting ogled by fellow billionaire Zuck.
Probably something you would not have seen when the Graham Family were running the show.
Probably something you would not have seen when the Graham Family were running the show.
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PleaseBlitz
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It's the newspaper most relevant to my life, and so I will continue to be a subscriber (although I did cancel in October just to add to the huge number of people who unsubscribed). But the Post not endorsing Harris was a stick in the eye of the vast majority of its readership. The Post spent every day since Trump descending the elevator breaking stories about just how unfit and shitty a person he is, and then Bezos unilaterally decided to do the wrong thing because he was scared that his business interests would be retaliated against if Trump won.
So yes, it was a business decision, but it was a business decision driven by Bezos' other interests. The Post itself is on life support because it alienated 85% of its readership who are, by definition, people that can read (i.e., not MAGAs).
As an unnamed member of the Post's own editorial board put it “If you don’t have the balls to own a newspaper, don’t.”
So yes, it was a business decision, but it was a business decision driven by Bezos' other interests. The Post itself is on life support because it alienated 85% of its readership who are, by definition, people that can read (i.e., not MAGAs).
As an unnamed member of the Post's own editorial board put it “If you don’t have the balls to own a newspaper, don’t.”