The Washington Post, once heralded as a bastion of establishment liberal journalism, is now reportedly undergoing a turbulent transformation — and shedding some of its most recognizable names in the process.
Since late May, the Jeff Bezos-owned publication has been offering voluntary buyouts, and what followed has been described by one staffer as “an absolute exodus.”
Among those walking away are veterans with decades of institutional memory: political heavyweight Dan Balz, opinion columnists Catherine Rampell and David von Drehle, and even the obituary section chief, Adam Bernstein.
Also exiting are TikTok creator Dave Jorgenson, legal reporter Ann Marimow, sportswriter Dan Steinberg, and columnist Jonathan Capehart.
The departures mark a significant brain drain for the paper just as it embarks on a self-declared mission to, in the words of CEO Will Lewis, “champion timeless American values” and “reconnect” with readers.
That editorial shift — a modest but notable pivot toward traditional principles — was laid out clearly in an early July email from Lewis, who encouraged staff who “do not feel aligned with the company’s plan” to consider the buyouts. The implication was unambiguous: get on board with the new vision or find the exit.
While corporate restructuring is nothing new in journalism, the Post’s shakeup is particularly striking for its scale and speed. “How much longer can The Washington Post bleed talent?” wondered Poynter News, as the paper’s veteran staff continued to exit stage left — some voluntarily, others under a cloud of editorial discontent.
Longtime columnist Joe Davidson reportedly resigned after being told one of his pieces was “too opinionated.” Jennifer Rubin, once a staple of the Post’s left-leaning commentary, departed amid fallout from the paper’s unexpected announcement that it would no longer endorse presidential candidates — including Democratic standard-bearer Kamala Harris.
The Editorial Board’s abrupt declaration that it was “returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates” came as a shock to many of its readers and critics, signaling a significant break from the paper’s recent partisan role.
The turmoil can be traced back further, to the resignation of Executive Editor Sally Buzbee in June 2024. Multiple sources said Buzbee’s exit stemmed from disagreements with the new management structure and editorial realignment under Lewis. Since then, the pace of departures has only accelerated.
While some former Post journalists, like Rubin and Jorgenson, are pursuing independent media ventures, others have already landed at rival institutions including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Reuters, and The Athletic.
But the Post’s internal uncertainty raises broader questions about the direction of legacy media in an era of declining trust and audience fragmentation.
For now, The Washington Post says the buyout window — targeting employees with over a decade of service — will remain open until the end of July.
But with so many high-profile names already headed for the exits, the bigger story may be whether the paper can deliver on its promise to restore reader trust while losing the very voices that once defined it.
