The world’s prestigious newspaper The Washington Post has made a major cut in its staff on Wednesday (4 February 2026). Under this decision, about one-third of the staff has been fired. The newspaper has completely closed its sports section, many foreign offices have been closed and coverage related to books has also been ended. This is considered to be one of the biggest layoffs in the media world so far.

The newspaper’s New Delhi bureau chief and the entire Middle East reporting team are also included in this layoff. Senior India-based journalist Ishan Tharoor, son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, has also been removed from his job. Ishan Tharoor used to write on international affairs in Washington Post and he confirmed his departure on social media. He wrote that he and many other brilliant journalists of the international team have been fired together. He said that he is feeling extremely sad for his newsroom and the journalists working around the world. In another post, he shared a picture of an empty newsroom and called it a bad day.

I have been laid off today from the @washingtonpostalong with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents…

— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026

What did Ishan Tharoor say?

Ishan Tharoor also said that it was an honor for him to start the WorldView column in 2017. He thanked his nearly five lakh readers who read his work over the years. The newspaper’s executive editor Matt Murray said that this decision was certainly painful, but it was necessary due to changing technology and readers’ habits. He said that now the newspaper cannot cover every topic. However, this decision is also being strongly criticized. Former editor of the newspaper, Martin Baron called it a move that would damage his reputation. Many journalists and media experts have warned that this could cause long-term damage to The Washington Post’s global identity.

A bad day pic.twitter.com/cIX8rIjJPu

— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026

Where was the impact of layoffs?

The layoffs have affected many departments like sports, books, international reporting, metro desk and copy editing. Jerusalem and Ukraine bureaus have also been closed. This step is being considered in the global media as a big example of economic pressure and changing times.