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The Washington Post, one of the world’s most influential newspapers, has announced sweeping layoffs as part of what it described as a “significant restructuring” of the organisation. The move will see deep cuts across departments, including the closure of its sports desk and a sharp reduction in international coverage.

Foreign media reports said nearly a third of the newspaper’s workforce has been affected. Employees were informed through internal emails, with subject lines indicating whether their roles had been retained or eliminated.

A spokesperson for the Post said the decisions were aimed at securing the paper’s future and refining its editorial focus. “These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and engages our customers,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

According to reports, the restructuring includes shutting down the Books section, cancelling the Post Reports podcast, and scaling back Metro as well as international reportage. The newspaper is also closing its sports desk entirely.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the development as one of the bleakest moments in the paper’s history. “This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations,” he was quoted as saying, warning that the cuts would diminish the Post’s ambitions and deprive readers of vital, ground-level reporting.

Several journalists took to social media platform X to announce that they had been laid off. Among them was Ishaan Tharoor, the Post’s international affairs columnist and son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

In a lengthy post, Tharoor said he was “heartbroken” by the decision, noting that most of the international staff had been affected. He recalled launching the WorldView column in 2017 and thanked the nearly half a million subscribers who followed it over the years.

The Post’s New Delhi bureau chief, Pranshu Verma, also confirmed his layoff, saying it had been a privilege to serve in the role over the past four years. Verma had been leading the bureau for around seven months.

Gerry Shih, the paper’s former New Delhi bureau chief who was later transferred to Jerusalem, said he too had been laid off, along with much of the Middle East reporting team.

The newspaper also announced the closure of its Ukraine bureau, one of its largest operations outside Washington DC. Ukraine bureau chief Siobhán O’Grady said on X that she had been laid off, bringing to an end a major on-ground reporting effort during the war.

The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, faced sharp criticism from its staff union following the announcement. The Washington Post Guild urged readers to send a message to Bezos, saying, “Enough is enough. Without the staff of The Washington Post, there is no Washington Post.”

The union warned that continued staff reductions would weaken the newsroom, push readers away and undermine the paper’s mission to hold those in power to account.