Washington Post announces major layoffs; Shashi Tharoor’s son Ishaan Tharoor among those sacked

The Washington Post, one of the world’s most influential newspapers, has announced sweeping layoffs as part of what it described as a “significant restructuring” of the organisation. The move will see deep cuts across departments, including the closure of its sports desk and a sharp reduction in international coverage.

Foreign media reports said nearly a third of the newspaper’s workforce has been affected. Employees were informed through internal emails, with subject lines indicating whether their roles had been retained or eliminated.

A spokesperson for the Post said the decisions were aimed at securing the paper’s future and refining its editorial focus. “These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and engages our customers,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

International, Metro and Books sections hit

According to reports, the restructuring includes shutting down the Books section, cancelling the Post Reports podcast, and scaling back Metro as well as international reportage. The newspaper is also closing its sports desk entirely.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the development as one of the bleakest moments in the paper’s history. “This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations,” he was quoted as saying, warning that the cuts would diminish the Post’s ambitions and deprive readers of vital, ground-level reporting.

Several journalists took to social media platform X to announce that they had been laid off. Among them was Ishaan Tharoor, the Post’s international affairs columnist and son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Tharoor, in a detailed post, said he was “heartbroken” by the decision and noted that the layoffs had hit a majority of the newspaper’s international staff. He said he had launched the WorldView column in 2017 and expressed gratitude to nearly 500,000 readers who followed it over the years.

Pranshu Verma, the Post’s New Delhi bureau chief, also confirmed that he had been laid off, saying it had been an honour to serve in the role over the past four years. Verma had been leading the bureau for roughly seven months.

The newspaper further announced that it was shutting its Ukraine bureau, one of its largest operations outside Washington DC. Ukraine bureau chief Siobhán O’Grady said on X that she had been laid off, bringing an end to a significant on-the-ground reporting effort during the war.