Washington Post Layoffs: New Delhi Bureau Chief Among 300 Journalists
News Desk: The Washington Post on Wednesday laid off more than 300 journalists — roughly one-third of its newsroom — in a sweeping restructuring that sharply reduces international coverage and eliminates several editorial divisions. Among those laid off was the paper’s New Delhi Bureau Chief, Pranshu Verma, who confirmed his exit on social media.
Verma, who had led the New Delhi bureau for about seven months, described the development as heartbreaking, saying it had been a privilege to work at the publication and an honour to serve in the leadership role. His departure underscored the breadth of the cuts, which affected correspondents covering regions such as West Asia, China, Türkiye and Iran, with many foreign reporting roles scaled back or discontinued.
Heartbroken to share I’ve been laid off from The Washington Post. Gutted for so many of my talented friends who are also gone. It was a privilege to work here the past four years. Serving as the paper’s New Delhi bureau chief was an honor.
— Pranshu Verma (@pranshuverma_) February 4, 2026
The layoffs form part of a broad overhaul across newsroom operations. As part of the restructuring, the newspaper has ended its sports coverage and shut down its books section, while reorganising editing, metro and international desks. Several foreign bureaus were downsized as the organisation pulled back from expansive overseas reporting commitments.
Executive Editor Matt Murray described the move as a difficult but necessary strategic reset, telling staff the publication must adapt to shifting reader habits, evolving technology and intense digital competition. The cuts were communicated through internal meetings followed by individual notifications to employees.
The Post is owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos since 2013. Bezos, also the owner of Amazon and space technology company Blue Origin, bought the newspaper from the longtime Graham family for about $250 million — a deal that marked one of the most high-profile ownership changes in modern American media.
The restructuring comes amid continued financial pressure on legacy media organisations facing declining circulation, volatile advertising markets and subscription challenges. While the layoffs have drawn concern among journalists about their impact on global reporting depth, management has indicated that the publication will focus resources on core coverage areas such as national politics and security reporting as it seeks to stabilise operations and chart a new direction.
