Jeff Bezos has received some criticism for layoffs at The Washington Post in recent months. He says there’s more than meets the eye.
What We Know: The Washington Post has undergone a series of layoffs in recent months. Much of the outlet’s sports staff was slashed, as were the majority of photographers. While speaking with CNBC‘s Squawk Box, he shared insight into what has gone right and wrong for the outlet.
What They Said: “What went wrong is we did not adapt. The news business, if you go back to the 90s, the local monopoly newspaper was the greatest business in the world. It was the printing press. The Washington Post had 70% of households in the Washington metro area. And it made money hand over fist. We live in a completely different environment now. Now you have to work hard to make a living in the news business.” -Jeff Bezos
What Remains Unclear: How the staffing cuts have affected the bottom line of The Washington Post. Bezos asserted during the interview that the outlet has more staffers now than when he originally purchased it. He noted that while there have been some cuts, it hasn’t affected the reporting of the outlet.
What It Means: Jeff Bezos went a step further and argued that he doesn’t want The Washington Post to “be a charity.” He balked at the idea of the outlet being a “public trust.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
