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Why is the Washington Post cratering so spectacularly? -- Margaret Sullivan [View all]
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/12/washington-post-fires-staffTo 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?
. . .
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."
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