Unprecedented cuts

Fired in war zone: 'I am devastated'. Protests from 'Washington Post' journalists

Unprecedented cuts by owner Jeff Bezos. A fundraising drive grows rapidly

by Angelica Migliorisi

5 February 2026

Lizzie Johnson, corrispondente dall’Ucraina del Washington Post, appena licenziata, in una immagine condivisa sui social mentre fa reporting in auto durante un blackout elettrico

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The Post Shot
The reactions of esters
Fired who covered Bezos's company
Fundraising
Direction line
The precedent of endorsement and cancellations

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

"I was just fired from the Washington Post in the middle of a war zone. I have no words. I am devastated". Lizzie Johnson, correspondent in Ukraine, gave X the phrase-word about the cuts at the paper. Johnson had described her everyday life in a country in conflict a few weeks earlier: no electricity, no water, no heating, she warms up in her car and takes notes in pencil because 'the ink freezes', illuminated by her headlamp.

Then there is Sabrina Malhi, Johnson's colleague and child and maternal health specialist, who wrote on X that she was 'heartbroken' as she breastfed her son and discovered she was losing what she called her 'dream job' to the Washington Post.

I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. https://t.co/dVCLF39YV1
— lizzie johnson (@lizziejohnsonnn) February 4, 2026

The Post Shot

The newspaper owned by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has embarked on a reorganisation that cuts about a third of its staff, with hundreds of posts affected and over 300 journalists affected. The heaviest reductions concern foreign, local news, editing and sports, as well as closures and contractions of products and sections, such as the book area.

The reactions of esters

X is flooded with messages from journalists of the paper. Such as that of Claire Parker, bureau chief in Cairo (Egypt): "Fired... along with the entire group of Middle East correspondents and our editors. Hard to understand the logic". His post was picked up by several international newspapers. Anna Fifield announced that she had been fired as 'Asia editor' of the Post, speaking of privilege and gratitude to colleagues. From India, Pranshu Verma wrote that he was 'heartbroken' ('heartbroken') over the dismissal and 'gutted' ('devastated') for the many colleagues affected.

Laid off from the Washington Post, along with the entire roster of Middle East correspondents and our editors. Hard to understand the logic. But I am grateful for my incredible colleagues, whose grit and dedication to the reporting and each other I will miss dearly.
— Claire Parker (@cairo_claire1) February 4, 2026

Fired who covered Bezos's company

Prominent in the stream of reactions is that of Caroline O'Donovan, who wrote that she had been fired "from her Amazon cover job" for the Washington Post. Among those fired who have chosen to say so publicly is Tashan Reed, who on X spoke ofan "incredibly sad day" not only for those who lose their jobs, but for their readers and what the paper represents. In the meantime, between tweets, the day is punctuated by emails and notifications, with departments dismantled and coverage reduced.

Today I was laid off from my job covering Amazon for Jeff Bezos's Washington Post.
— Caroline O'Donovan (@ceodonovan) February 4, 2026

Fundraising

Almost in parallel, a grassroots response, a fundraiser on GoFundMe launched by journalist Rachel Siegel to support those out of work, started in parallel with Kara Swisher - veteran tech journalist and former Washington Post - with a $10,000 donation, one of the largest in the campaign's early hours, which at the time of writing has now reached $320,378 raised out of a target of $350,000.

The line of direction

The editorial board explained that the cuts are a necessary step to make the newspaper more sustainable and focused on areas deemed priorities (national politics, government, security, health), in light of declining revenues and the transformation in online news consumption.

Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post, called the choice "painful but necessary" to put the paper on a firmer footing and cope with an era of changing technology and reader habits, adding in an internal memo that "we can't be all things to all people".

The precedent of endorsement and cancellations

The downsizing comes after months of tension over the editorial line. In October 2024 more than 200,000 digital subscribers unsubscribed after the newspaper's decision not to publish the presidential endorsement. Bezos publicly defended the decision to discontinue the endorsement tradition. The next day, the Washington Post wrote that cancellations had risen to 250 thousand, and the AP reported that the loss had been 'at least a quarter of a million' subscribers.