Following news that The Washington Post is laying off hundreds of employees—an announcement some have described as among the darkest moments in the newspaper’s history—owner Jeff Bezos has come under intense criticism online.
The pushback has focused in part on Amazon’s recent purchase of Melania, a documentary about first lady Melania Trump. Amazon paid $40 million for the title and another $35 million for marketing, figures that critics argue stand in stark contrast to the cuts impacting the 150-year-old newspaper. Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million.
Why It Matters
The layoffs will affect roughly one-third of the company and were announced Wednesday by executive editor Matt Murray, who described the decision as painful but necessary.
The reductions extend beyond staffing. Entire sections—including sports and books—have been shut down, along with several foreign bureaus. The paper’s Middle East correspondents and editors were laid off, and some of those affected were journalists currently reporting from active conflict zones.
The Post’s Ukraine correspondent, Lizzie Johnson, wrote in a post on X: “I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I’m devastated.” Her post had been viewed 11 million times at the time of reporting.
What to Know
The layoffs had been expected after the newsroom publicly urged Bezos to reverse course in a campaign known as #SaveThePost, though the scale reportedly surprised many inside the organization.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the layoffs are “part of a broader reprehensible pattern in which corporate decisions are hollowing out newsrooms across the country,” speaking to members of the Washington Press Club Foundation.
The cuts also land during a broader contraction in local and national journalism. The Associated Press reported in October 2025 that at least 136 newspapers closed that year.
Critics Point to Amazon Spending and Bezos’ Wealth
In an Instagram post, journalist and author Nicholas Kristoff criticized the contrast between Amazon’s documentary spending and the newsroom cuts, writing: “Bezos was willing to spend $75 million on a Melania documentary to curry favor with the Trump administration, but unwilling to keep a vital, independent newspaper in our nation’s capital.”
Representative Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, wrote on X: “After paying $40M for the Melania movie, Bezos is firing hundreds of Washington Post reporters who tell us actual facts. All while turning the editorial board into a billionaire-defense operation. Too often, the billionaires who control our biggest media outlets are selling out our country.”
The Melania documentary itself had already generated controversy. The film, which follows the first lady in the lead-up to President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration, was reported to have had the strongest start for any documentary in more than a decade. Critics also pointed to the timing of the release and backlash tied to director Brett Ratner, who has faced allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct by six women in 2017—claims he has denied.
As criticism grew after the layoffs, Bezos’ personal wealth and high-profile assets also became a focal point.
Peter Baker, the New York Times’ chief White House correspondent, listed figures tied to Bezos’ wealth and spending in a post on X, including his reported net worth growth since 2024, the cost of his 417-foot superyacht, Amazon’s investment in Melania, and the newspaper’s reported annual losses. Baker’s post had been viewed 2.4 million times at the time of reporting.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, echoed the criticism in a post on X viewed 2.6 million times, writing: “If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don’t tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy.”
What People Are Saying
Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, wrote on X: “A devastating day for the paper of record in our nation’s capital. Bezos just spent $40M sucking up to Trump with Amazon’s ‘Melania’, but is now cutting a third of @WashigntonPost staff – including much of the international & local teams – for “budget” reasons? The corporate takeover of media is a threat to our democracy & the delivery of the truth to the American people.”
Marty Baron, the newspaper’s former executive editor, said in a statement released Wednesday: “This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations… The Washington Post’s ambitions will be sharply diminished, its talented and brave staff will be further depleted, and the public will be denied the ground-level, fact-based reporting in our communities and around the world that is needed more than ever.”
Comedian Ginny Hogan wrote on Instagram: “So I guess democracy actually died not in darkness, but on a Zoom call where you finally admit you’d rather spend $75 million on a Melania Trump documentary than on paying journalists’ salaries.”
Don Van Natta Jr., an author and senior writer for ESPN, wrote on X: “The Washington Post lost $77 million in 2023. Jeff Bezos just spent at least $75 million on an infomercial named “Melania” — $40 million paid to the President and First Lady. Priorities.”
What Happens Next
Backlash toward Bezos is likely to intensify as journalists, public officials, and media critics continue reacting to the scale of the cuts and what they mean for The Washington Post’s ability to maintain broad coverage in Washington and abroad.
