Why is the Washington Post cratering so spectacularly? -- Margaret Sullivan

[erronis]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/12/washington-post-fires-staff

To understand the change in Washington Post's fortunes, it is worth comparing its demise to the New York Times's trajectory

Not so long ago - it's been less than a decade - the New York Times and the Washington Post were almost neck and neck in the race for readers, reputation and scoops. The Times was always bigger, but the two were somewhat comparable.

These days, that's far from reality. The Post has been declining in influence, newsroom staff and financial health - losing at least $100m a year - while the Times is on an astonishing upward trajectory, with operating profit approaching $200m annually.

The Times boasts about 13 million digital subscribers compared to the Post's roughly 2 million. It now has newsroom staff around the world of well over 2,000, while the Post has slipped to only 400, after reaching a height of more than 1,000.

There's no question now of who won the war.

Why this dramatic difference?

. . .

Ms. Sullivan points to leadership as the key reason, also saying "When Baron retired in 2021 - succeeded by a much weaker Sally Buzbee, whose background was almost entirely at the Associated Press - and when Bezos later replaced Ryan with the execrable Will Lewis, the wheels came off."

[lostincalifornia]

1. This shouldn't be rocket science, IT IS BECAUSE OF BEZO, and his complete capitulation to the sociopath in the

white house.

IMHO the only chance that may save this paper would be a new owner.

[newdeal2]

2. Bezos is under no pressure to sell

This is just a little play thing to him for prestige and to help his allies.

[Dave Bowman]

3. Absolutely. 👍

[generalbetrayus]

4. I cancelled my digital subscription to the Post when Bezos canned the endorsement of Kamala Harris.

I had added the subscription a few years earlier so I could read articles linked to here at DU. I found the website itself disappointing.

I grew up in D.C. and a nearby suburb. I delivered the Washington Evening Star for years in the second half of the 60s but always subscribed to the Post because I thought it was a better newspaper. I still read it though the Watergate era before moving out of the area in 1975.

[Dave says]

6. Exactly why I dropped my subscription

[Maeve]

11. Me too.

[Blues Heron]

5. It was deliberate -sabotage

[QueerDuck]

7. I like to tell myself that cancelling our online subscription helped to pour salt in their wounds...

... it's funny how they kept sending us email after email with new and LOWER priced offers week after week, then slowing to monthly, then to none at all.

[erronis]

8. They should have tried trump's trick of offering you a 1,000% savings...

Of course bezos (like trump) would never honor that.

[Raftergirl]

9. I canceled two years ago and I still receive offers constantly. Last one was an offer for $0.50/week.

[Mosby]

10. You know who is going to crater? The BBC with their brand new paywall.

I bet visits are down 90%