Fred Ryan, CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, announced today that the company will be laying off some of its staff in early 2023. He then walked away from concerned employees who were trying to ask questions during what looked like a chaotic town hall meeting. (See video, posted by the Post's national correspondent Annie Gowen, below.)
During the announcement, Ryan wouldn't give an exact number but said the layoffs would amount to a single-digit percentage of its employees. With a newsroom staff of 1,000, according to The New York Times, that could be up to 90 people more or less.
From The New York Times:
Mr. Ryan's remarks came during a contentious town hall meeting that culminated with Mr. Ryan stepping offstage without answering follow-up questions from employees, according to people with knowledge of the gathering. …
"The Washington Post is evolving and transforming to put our business in the best position for future growth," The Post said in a statement.
The Washington Post has struggled to expand its digital subscriber base to the levels it reached during the years of the Trump administration, when readers flocked to coverage of the former president. The company is also battling a downturn in the ad market that has hurt companies across the publishing sector. The Post recently announced plans to close the print edition of its magazine. …
[M]any employees have grown frustrated with The Post's management, objecting to the company's work-from-home policy and raising questions about the company's business strategy.
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