Fury Erupts as WaPo Publisher Turns His Back on Employees, Walks Away After Giving Bad News Right Before Christmas
From Big Tech companies to the media world, it appears to be mass layoff season on President Joe Biden’s watch.
The Washington Post, famous for its ridiculously far-left takes on most issues, will soon lose many employees to a round of layoffs. WaPo publisher Fred Ryan recently held an “All-Employee Town Hall” meeting for the paper’s employees, and the situation turned sour. Fast.
Video emerged across social media of the event, and the part where Ryan announced planned Q1 2023 layoffs did not go over well with the WaPo employees in attendance, Fox News reported. Ryan reportedly announced the layoff plan and decided to turn his back on justifiably angry employees before walking out without taking questions.
“NEW: @washingtonpost publisher Fred Ryan refuses to take staff questions after announcing Q1 layoffs in “Town Hall” @postguild,” WaPo national correspondent Annie Gowen tweeted.
NEW: @washingtonpost publisher Fred Ryan refuses to take staff questions after announcing Q1 layoffs in “Town Hall” @postguild pic.twitter.com/C4HOXb6y2C
— Annie Gowen (@anniegowen) December 14, 2022
In the video, right after Ryan announced the layoffs, one employee shouted, “What are you going to do to protect people’s jobs? Are they going to be treated like the magazine staffers were?”
Before rushing out of the room full of ticked-off staffers, Ryan said, “We’ll have more information as we move forward.”
According to Fox News, Ryan ratcheted tensions even more at one point, telling the concerned employees, “We’re not going to turn the town hall into a grievance session with the Guild.”
Yikes.
One Twitter user raised a hilariously valid point. “Did they really expect a room full of reports to not have questions?”
Did they really expect a room full of reports to not have questions?
— Bri (@BriDehlinger) December 14, 2022
WaPo chief communications officer Kathy Baird explained why management decided to axe part of its workforce.
“The Washington Post is evolving and transforming to put our business in the best position for future growth. We are planning to direct our resources and invest in coverage, products, and people in service of providing high value to our subscribers and new audiences. As a result, a number of positions will be eliminated,” Baird said.
“We anticipate it will be a single-digit percentage of our employee base, and we will finalize those plans over the coming weeks. This will not be a net reduction in Post headcount. Recently, we have made some of the largest investments in The Post’s history and 2023 will be another year of continued investment,” she added.
However, the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper could have a battle brewing with the Washington Post Guild, which will undoubtedly swell its ranks in the lead-up to the layoffs as employees seek protection and representation. Guild leadership called Ryan’s approach of delivering the bad news “unacceptable.”
“Members of the Washington Post Guild are outraged at the unceremonious announcement of layoffs at today’s so-called town hall led by our publisher, Fred Ryan. After informing staffers that the company could eliminate up to 9 percent of positions companywide in the first quarter of next year, Ryan refused to take questions from his employees and walked out of the room,” the Guild said, according to Fox News.
“This behavior is unacceptable from any leader, but especially the leader of a news organization whose core values include transparency and accountability,” the Guild added.
The Washington Post joins other media companies such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Gannett in laying off workers amid troubling economic times and grim outlooks for 2023. Bezos has also announced significant layoffs at Amazon at the start of the new year.
While it’s difficult to pity any of the people working for an organization that has spent the past six years making its money off hate and negative coverage of politicians that do not align with its owners’ worldview, and while companies have to make tough decisions in tough times, it looks as though WaPo management doesn’t give a rip about what the employees have to say about it.
Imagine what morale will be like in the coming weeks and months, especially if management continues handling the situation like it is now. Quality, if there ever was any, will undoubtedly plummet.
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