Will Lewis, publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, poses for a portrait in Washington, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via AP, File)2026-02-07T23:20:38Z Washington Post publisher Will Lewis said Saturday that hes stepping down, three days after the troubled newspaper said that it was laying off one-third of its staff.Lewis sent an email to the Posts staff, saying that difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post. Lewis and the newspapers billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, did not participate in a meeting with staff announcing the layoffs this week.The Posts chief financial officer, Jeff DOnofrio, was named acting publisher and CEO. He joined the newspaper only last June.The British-born Lewis was a former top executive at The Wall Street Journal before taking over at The Post in January 2024. His tenure has been rocky from the start, marked by layoffs and a failed reorganization plan that led to the departure of former top editor Sally Buzbee. The Post also lost tens of thousand of subscribers following Bezos order late in the presidential campaign pulling back an expected endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, and subsequent changes to turn the editorial pages in a more conservative direction.While anticipated, this past weeks layoffs were deeper than anticipated, resulting in the shutting down of the Posts renowned sports section, sharp cutbacks in foreign and metro coverage, and the laying off of its photographic staff. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site