The Facts
The Washington Post announced plans Tuesday to cut 240 jobs — almost 10% of its workforce — through voluntary buyouts.
The Post currently employs around 2.5K people, and this buyout announcement comes nearly nine months after the newspaper reduced its newsroom staff by 50 positions, including 20 layoffs.
The Spin
Narrative A
Poor business decisions by executives who work for Jeff Bexos are to blame for staff — including vital journalists — getting laid off. It's unacceptable that they are bearing the brunt of organizational mismanagement.
Narrative B
The difficult decision to cut back on staff is unfortunate, but it's what’s best for the company and will put The Post in a strong place in the future. The company simply cannot keep investing in initiatives that don't meet the needs of customers and needs to instead put resources into high-priority areas. This move is simply a reaction to a fast-changing media landscape.
