The chief executive of the Washington Post is stepping down, the newspaper has announced, days after overseeing mass lay-offs.
Will Lewis said it was the right time to leave, stating in a message to staff that difficult decisions had been made to ensure the paper's future.
On Wednesday, the newspaper announced it was cutting a third of its workforce, significantly scaling back its coverage of sports and international news.
The decision has faced condemnation from many journalists and prompted criticism aimed at the Post's billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos. Executive editor Matt Murray claimed the cuts would bring stability to the organization.
Jeff D'Onofrio, who joined as chief financial officer last year, will be assuming the role of acting publisher and CEO in the interim. Lewis had been appointed to the position in 2023 and had previously faced criticism as he sought to reverse financial losses for the daily publication.
Following the layoffs, hundreds protested outside the paper's Washington, DC headquarters, which included the termination of the newspaper's entire Middle East staff and its Ukraine correspondent.
Marty Baron, the Post's executive editor until 2021, commented on the cuts, calling them among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organisations.
The departure of Lewis marks yet another upheaval for the leading US newspaper, which has experienced a series of staff cuts and contentious editorial choices in recent years.
Shortly before the 2024 US presidential election, Bezos made waves by deciding that the newspaper would not endorse a presidential candidate for the first time, breaking with decades of tradition. This move was met with widespread disapproval, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of subscribers.
