Monday 9th of February 2026
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this one reader is more important — if he could read, though....

Will Lewis has stepped down as CEO and publisher of the Washington Post, days after a sweeping round of layoffs that affected virtually every desk. In recent years, the paper has reeled under a drastic fall in audience numbers and ad revenue.

In a message to staff shared by several outlets on Saturday, Lewis, who held the post since early 2024, said “difficult decisions” were made “to ensure the sustainable future of The Post,” adding that he believes the outlet will keep publishing “high-quality nonpartisan news” for years to come.

Unions representing employees welcomed Lewis’ departure, condemning his legacy as the “attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution” and urging owner Jeff Bezos to reverse course.

”Will Lewis’s exit is long overdue,” the Washington Post Guild said, adding that Bezos “must immediately rescind these layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future.”

The last several years have been stormy for the 148-year-old newspaper, which for decades helped shape the American political landscape. Earlier this month, the WaPo announced layoffs that affected one-third of the staff, with the sports section eliminated entirely.

In early 2025, Semafor, citing internal data, reported that the WaPo’s daily active users fell from around 22.5 million in 2021 to 2.5-3 million by mid-2024. Around the same time, the Wall Street Journal reported that the WaPo’s ad revenue fell from $190 million in 2023 to $174 million in 2024.

Lewis’ tenure was also overshadowed by direction changes that alienated parts of its readership. In October 2024, the WaPo said it would not endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in 36 years. Media reports claimed that Bezos ordered leaders to pull back from the planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, breaking with the tradition of supporting Democratic candidates.

Commenting on the fragile state of the newspaper, former executive editor Martin Baron suggested that Bezos was wary of US President Donald Trump. “This is a newspaper that has prided itself on its independence, and the behavior of Jeff Bezos has suggested to the readers that he is not independent at all,” Baron said. “He’s actually dependent – dependent on Donald Trump.”

https://www.rt.com/news/632167-washington-post-ceo-resigns-layoffs/

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

darkness....

Dancing in the Dark
Prelude to a Rebirth

BY STEVE BRODNER

 

Washington DC is without a newspaper tonight. 

By the time The Washington Star ceased publication after 129 years in 1981, The Washington Post had climbed the heights of journalistic achievement, from challenging Joseph McCarthy to defeating his love child, Nixon to proving a formidable counter to their spawn, Trump. In the mass die-off of newspapers, Jeff Bezos pretended to protect the essential nature of journalism there. Until he didn’t. In the corrupt pursuit of favor from a mob regime, he has gutted and, in Ashley Parker’s words, murdered the Post.

I believe that the Darkness that descends over US media now, from state propaganda to corporate cowardice, is about to be countered by the need across the spectrum for a new media. Non-profit newsrooms are springing up across the country. And where there is a large hole in places like LA and DC, I believe the vacuum will be filled. There is so much talent and creativity to meet this moment, this will most certainly happen.

It is hard to say goodbye to the old form. But new forms are always in the wings. And now, in the fight against fascism, racism and corrupt pols, the mission is clearer than it has ever been in our lifetimes.

Part of the answer is here on Substack. This paper needs you. Please contribute.

Thanks.

The Greater Quiet is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://stevebrodner.substack.com/p/dancing-in-the-dark

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.