Ishaan Tharoor, son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was among nearly one-third of the staff laid off by The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on Wednesday. The sweeping job cuts prompted several employees to share emotional messages on social media, calling it a devastating moment for one of the world’s most influential news organisations.
Tharoor, a senior international affairs columnist, confirmed his exit in a social media post, reflecting on his years at the newspaper and the abrupt end to his tenure.
I'm heartbroken: Ishaan Tharoor
"I have been laid off today from the Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I'm heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally--editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years. It's been an honour to work with them," he said in his post.
In another post, Ishaan shared an image of an empty newsroom, calling it "A bad day." His father responded to the development by resharing his "a bad day" post.
Ishaan also reflected on his time at the newspaper, saying it had been an honour to launch the WorldView column in 2017 and help readers make sense of global affairs. He expressed gratitude to the nearly half a million subscribers who followed his reporting over the years.
Washington Post cuts one-third of its staff
In a sweeping move that has sent shockwaves through the media industry, The Washington Post laid off nearly one-third of its staff, a decision that has been described as a brutal blow to journalism and to one of the world's most iconic news organisations. Beyond job cuts, the long-established newspaper has reportedly shut down its sports desk, closed several overseas bureaus, and discontinued its books coverage.
The Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and to weather changes in technology and user habits. "We can't be everything to everyone," Murray said in a note to staff members.
He outlined the changes in a companywide online meeting, and staff members then began getting emails with one of two subject lines -- telling them their role was or was not eliminated.
Rumours of layoffs had circulated for weeks, ever since word leaked that sports reporters who had expected to travel to Italy for the Winter Olympics would not be going. But when official word came down, the size and scale of the cuts were shocking, affecting virtually every department in the newsroom.
"It's just devastating news for anyone who cares about journalism in America and, in fact, the world," said Margaret Sullivan, a Columbia University journalism professor and former media columnist at the Post and The New York Times.
Reports say the cuts at the Post also include closing the Books section, cancelling the Post Reports podcast, and significantly reducing Metro and international coverage.
The Washington Post is owned by Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos.
The Washington Post Guild, the union for staff members, had appealed to the public to send a message to Bezos: "Enough is enough. Without the staff of The Washington Post, there is no Washington Post."
"If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission that has defined this paper for generations and serve the millions who depend on Post journalism, then The Post deserves a steward that will," a statement from the Washington Post Guild read.
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