Washington Post layoffs: Hundreds of journalists could have been saved with this offer? Report reveals...

Those who are in power at The Washington Post were approached with an offer that could have saved several jobs before the legacy newspaper announced hundreds of layoffs this month, according to a new report.

Instead, the Jeff Bezos-owned paper went ahead with the Washington Post layoffs, eliminating hundreds of jobs and cutting down multiple sections of the news desk, The Verge reported.

According to the report, recently-ousted Washington Post publisher Will Lewis got an offer from Washington City Paper owner Mark Ein.

Ein wanted to buy the the Post’s sports and local desks after reports surfaced in January that the newspaper was considering eliminating the sections.

According to The Verge, Lewis was open to the offer that would have meant hundreds of journalists could retain their jobs. However, the discussions ended abruptly last Wednesday, when the Post closed those sections altogether and announced layoffs of the journalists who served in those desks.

Neither Washington Post nor Mark Ein have made any comments regarding the matter.

“There is now a massive hole in our community that needs to be filled,” Ein said in a social media post on pleas for him to hire the laid off journalists.

“I’m on it!”

Washington Post layoffs

Both Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis faced massive criticism following the Washington Post layoffs last week, which saw the newspaper letting go of at least 400 journalists across desks including international, local, sports and editing.

“No struggling newspaper ever saved itself by becoming a worse and less essential product. But what’s happening today at the @washingtonpost is not just the latest devastating contraction of the news industry; it’s the gutting of an American institution vital for a healthy society,” former Post employee and veteran White House journalist Peter Baker wrote on X.

Former Post owner Don Graham, whose family owned the newspaper for eight decades, called the news a “bad day”.

“It’s a bad day,” Graham wrote on Facebook. “I am sad that so many excellent reporters and editors—and old friends—are losing their jobs. My first concern is for them; I will do anything I can to help.”

Will Lewis resigns, praises Jeff Bezos

Three days after the Washington Post layoffs were announced, Lewis announced his own resignation.

The former publisher announced his departure in a two-paragraph email to the newspaper's staff, saying that after two years of transformation, “now is the right time for me to step aside.” The Post's chief financial officer, Jeff D'Onofrio, was appointed temporary publisher.

Neither Lewis nor Jeff Bezos had participated in the meeting with staff members announcing the layoffs last week.

Martin Baron, the Post’s first editor under Bezos, condemned his former boss this week for attempting to gain favours from US President Donald Trump and called the layoffs “a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.”

The Washington Post layoffs have led to some calls for Bezos to either increase his investment in the newspaper or sell it to someone who will take a more active role. However Lewis, in his note, praised Bezos: “The institution could not have had a better owner,” he said.

“During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day,” he said.