The Washington Post’s editor-in-chief, Sally Buzbee, is stepping down from her post, marking an abrupt and major change for one of the nation’s leading news organizations.
The Wall Street Journal announced Sunday night that Matt Murray, the paper’s former editor-in-chief, will succeed him until the presidential election, after which he will be replaced by Robert Winnett, a deputy editor at Telegraph Media Group.
In his new role following the election, Murray will launch a new newsroom at The Post focused on service and social media journalism.
Busbee, 58, has been at the helm of the paper for the past three years during a tumultuous period that has produced award-winning journalism but also led to declining readership and an exodus of talent from the editorial staff.
Buzbee and Murray did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“Sally was a fantastic leader and an incredibly talented media executive, and she will be greatly missed,” Will Lewis, CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, said in a statement. “We wish her the best in the future.”
Lewis has been shaking up the Paper’s leadership since taking over last year. In April, he announced Suzie Watford, a former executive at Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, as chief strategy editor. In January, he named Carl Wells chief growth officer, a role that will include responsibility for subscription strategy, partnerships, licensing and data analytics.
Lewis briefed employees at a town hall meeting last month on his turnaround strategy, revealing the severity of The Post’s financial difficulties, including a loss of more than $70 million in 2023 and a sharp decline in readership.
Mr Murray, 58, led the Journal for four years after being appointed by Mr Lewis, who was then chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of the Journal, and will be succeeded by British editor Emma Tucker in 2023. Ms Murray has since worked as a consultant to News Corp, which owns the Journal, and as a contributing editor to News Item, publisher of email newsletters.
Buzbee joined The Washington Post in June 2021 after spending his entire career as editor in chief of The Associated Press. He took over at the paper from legendary newspaper editor Marty Baron, who ran the paper for eight years and oversaw an ownership transition with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who bought the paper in 2013 for $250 million.
Under Busbee’s leadership, the paper has significantly expanded its editorial department, adding about 41 positions in 2021 and announcing a revamp of its vaunted Styles department. It also eliminated its Sunday magazine, upsetting many of the paper’s feature writers. Since Busbee took over, the paper has won six Pulitzer Prizes, including three this year.
Former Amazon CEO Fred Ryan stepped down last June and was replaced by Amazon board member Patty Stonesifer. Ms. Stonesifer, a close ally of Mr. Bezos, assessed the company and quickly determined it needed to cut about 240 jobs to become financially sustainable. She led the search for a replacement and poached Mr. Lewis to join The Washington Post last year.
