Washington Post Staff 'shellshocked' By Constant Blows To Morale As Bosses Seek Buyouts, Insider Says

The Washington Post's latest effort to trim headcount pinch voluntary buyouts appears to beryllium failing owed to a numbness successful nan newsroom caused by nan changeless "blows" to morale. 

"People are shellshocked and keeping their heads down," 1 Post staffer told Fox News Digital.

On Wednesday, Washington Post patient and CEO Will Lewis offered a blunt ultimatum to unit who aren't onboard pinch nan "new direction" nan insubstantial is taking nether its billionaire proprietor Jeff Bezos. 

"I understand and respect, however, that our chosen way is not for everyone," Lewis wrote successful a memo obtained by Fox News Digital. "That’s precisely why we introduced nan voluntary separation program. As we proceed successful this caller direction, I want to inquire those who do not consciousness aligned pinch the company’s plan to bespeak connected that. The VSP is designed to support you successful making this decision, springiness you nan expertise to measurement your options thoughtfully and pinch little interest astir financial consequences. And if you deliberation that it’s clip to move connected to a caller chapter, nan VSP helps you return that adjacent measurement pinch much security."

WASHINGTON POST CEO URGES STAFFERS WHO DON'T ‘FEEL ALIGNED’ WITH PAPER'S NEW DIRECTION TO TAKE BUYOUT

Washington Post patient and CEO Will Lewis urged staffers who aren't "aligned" pinch nan paper's caller guidance to return a buyout and time off nan company. (Elliott O'Donovan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The buyout program, first announced successful May by Post executive editor Matt Murray, specifically targeted seasoned staffers and different departments. The programme is group to reason by nan extremity of July.

The staffer suspects, however, that Lewis' mid-July connection intends "people aren't interested" successful taking nan buyout contempt nan turmoil and agony that has erupted successful caller months.  

"It’s been 1 group of blows aft another. So this memo is par for nan course," nan insider says. "Another explosive went disconnected but who notices anymore?"

LONGTIME WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST QUITS PAPER, SLAMS GROWING EDITORIAL CONSTRAINTS UNDER BEZOS

One staffer who wasn't onboard pinch nan "new direction" of nan Post was longtime columnist Joe Davidson, who shed ray connected what led to his resignation from nan insubstantial precocious past month. It is unclear whether he took a voluntary buyout. 

"For me, nan costs became excessively awesome erstwhile a Federal Insider file I wrote was killed because it was deemed excessively opinionated nether an unwritten and inconsistently enforced policy, which I had not heard of previously," nan 20-year Post seasoned wrote Tuesday connected his Facebook page. "While nan argumentation prohibiting sentiment and commentary successful News conception articles tin beryllium justified journalistically, it is simply a departure from longstanding Post believe and mandated a alteration successful my domiciled that I chose not to accept." 

One Washington Post staffer told Fox News Digital that group are "shellshocked and keeping their heads down" arsenic they look changeless blows to morale.  (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

While Davidson didn't judge Bezos was straight progressive successful his file being killed, he wrote, "it would beryllium naïve to disregard nan context."

"Starting earlier nan November statesmanlike election, Bezos’s policies and activities person projected nan image of a Donald Trump supplicant," Davidson said. "The consequence – fleeing journalists, plummeting morale and disappearing subscriptions. Since October, erstwhile Bezos blocked publication of a planned Post endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, nan departure of Post talent has been shocking and included 5 erstwhile editors straight supra maine successful nan newsroom’s hierarchy."

"Nonetheless, Post sum of Trump remains strong. Yet nan argumentation against sentiment successful News conception columns intends little captious scrutiny of Trump -- a consequence coinciding pinch Bezos’s unseemly and well-document[ed] coziness pinch nan president," Davidson continued.

He later wrote, "As a columnist, I can’t unrecorded pinch that level of constraint. A file without commentary made maine a columnist without a column… When Bezos bought The Post, he provided needed money, power and direction. The Post continues to nutrient first-rate publicity now, contempt his morale-busting actions."

JEFF BEZOS' TENURE AS WASHINGTON POST OWNER IN SPOTLIGHT AS PAPER GRAPPLES WITH LOW MORALE, STAFFER EXODUS

Liberals person been outraged by immoderate of nan decisions made by The Washington Post's billionaire proprietor Jeff Bezos successful caller months. ((Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

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The Post has suffered a melodramatic diminution successful subscriptions, which was further fueled by aggregate boycott campaigns against nan "Democracy Dies successful Darkness" insubstantial complete decisions made by Bezos. 

In October, Bezos set disconnected an uproar erstwhile he halted nan paper's endorsement of then-Vice President Kamala Harris conscionable days earlier nan November election. Then successful February 2025, Bezos announced his directive for nan Post's editorial pages to beforehand "personal liberties and free markets" and vowed not to people pieces opposing those principles. 

Both instances sparked a wide exodus of paid subscribers and respective resignations, including sentiment editor David Shipley, who opposed Bezos' caller policy. Last month, nan Post tapped Adam O'Neal, formerly of The Economist and The Wall Street Journal, to lead nan sentiment pages. 

The insubstantial has mislaid a flood of reporters to rival publications successful caller months, specified arsenic Josh Dawsey, Ashey Parker, Michael Schere and Tyler Pager, successful summation to columnists who person quit, for illustration Jennifer Rubin, Eugene Robinson and Ruth Marcus.

A spokesperson for The Washington Post declined to remark to Fox News Digital.