The Washington Post lays off a third of its staff

The cuts affected nearly all corners of the newsroom and include the closures of the sports and books desks and several foreign bureaus

The Washington Post laid off employees across “nearly all news departments” Wednesday as part of a major newsroom restructuring.

Executive editor Matt Murray broke the news to staff in a morning Zoom call. The cuts include the elimination of the sports and books desks in their current form, the restructuring (and reduction) of the metro desk and the closure of several foreign bureaus. “Post Reports,” the paper’s flagship daily podcast, will also stop production.

Roughly a third of Post employees were laid off, including more than 300 of the 800-person newsroom, CNN and The New York Times reported. The layoffs mark the most extensive cuts at the Post in years and follow a period of sustained financial losses, leadership turnover and controversial editorial decisions.