The Washington Post’s publisher Will Lewis has stepped down, simply days after the newspaper laid off one third of its newsroom.
“After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside,” Lewis wrote Saturday afternoon in a quick observe to employees. “I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The institution could not have a better owner.”
“During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day,” Lewis’ observe concluded.
The Post mentioned that CFO Jeff D’Onofrio, the former CEO of Tumblr, will take over as performing publisher and CEO, “effective immediately.”
D’Onofrio wrote in a Saturday memo to employees that he’s “honored to take the helm as acting Publisher and CEO to lead us into a sustainable, successful future with the strength of our journalism as our north star.”
Saturday night’s uncommon announcement made no point out of Lewis staying on board in any capability to help the transition, suggesting a really sudden change.
Lewis had misplaced the confidence of the Post newsroom way back, and through final week’s layoffs, some staffers mentioned the state of affairs had grow to be more and more untenable.
The Post’s employees hadn’t seen or heard from Lewis throughout or after Wednesday’s layoffs, however he was noticed Thursday strolling the crimson carpet at a glitzy pre-Super Bowl occasion, additional stoking outrage amongst the newsroom.
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