Will Lewis, Washington Post Publisher and Chief Executive, resigns days after mass layoffs
Will Lewis, The Washington Post Publisher and Chief Executive, announced he would depart after two years at the paper, a tenure marked by controversy and crisis, reports NPR.
Lewis, states NPR, called his time “two years of transformation” in his resignation note, but it was defined by turbulence rather than a clear path, and it ended with brutal job cuts. The paper’s chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, will serve as acting CEO.
NPR reports that more than a third of the newsroom was laid after Lewis’ promises of radical innovations failed to staunch several years of annual losses in the tens of millions of dollars. At one point, losses hit $100 million, Lewis told staffers in June 2024 during a rocky newsroom all-staff. The session occurred just five months into his time at the Post. Yet it proved to be his final all-staff meeting.
He was effectively AWOL states NPR, as the paper’s scope, ambitions and journalism were radically redefined and constricted. Lewis played no visible role in announcing the layoffs in a mandatory Zoom call for the newsroom on Wednesday. Nor did he publicly address the paper’s readers to allay their concerns.
