Sashi Tharoor's son Ishaan laid off as Washington Post fires one-third of staff

The Washington Post laid off nearly one-third of its staff on Wednesday, shutting down its sports section, closing several foreign bureaus and ending its books coverage in one of the most sweeping job cuts in the paper’s history. The layoffs dealt a severe blow to one of journalism’s most respected institutions and sharply reduced its global reporting presence. All of the paper’s Middle East correspondents and editors were among those affected.

Ishaan Tharoor was among more than 300 employees dismissed in the sweeping cuts.

Tharoor, a senior international affairs columnist and the son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, confirmed his departure in a social media post, reflecting on his years at the newspaper and the sudden end to his role.

"I have been laid off today from the Washington Post, along with most of the staff and so many other wonderful colleagues," Tharoor wrote on X. "I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally."

In a separate post, he shared an image of an empty newsroom, simply calling it "a bad day."

Ishan also reflected on his work at the paper, saying it had been an honour to launch the WorldView column in 2017 to help readers better understand global affairs. He thanked the roughly half a million subscribers who followed his reporting over the years.

The Washington Post confirmed significant layoffs on Wednesday, describing the move as part of a significant restructuring. The cuts include the elimination of the sports section, the scaling down of foreign bureaus and the closure of its book coverage.

Executive editor Matt Murray called the decision painful but necessary, telling staff the organisation can’t be everything to everyone as it adapts to changing technology and audience habits.

Staff were informed of their fate through emails following a companywide meeting, with the scale of the cuts shocking employees across departments.

Former executive editor Martin Baron condemned the move, calling it "near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction," while journalism academics and former staff warned the cuts risked long-term damage to one of the world’s most influential newsrooms.

MIDDLE EAST BUREAU AMONG UNITS HIT BY LAYOFFS

Cairo bureau chief Claire Parker said on X that she had been laid off along with the newspaper’s entire Middle East reporting team, calling the decision “hard to understand.” Lizzie Johnson, who recently reported from Ukraine under war-zone conditions, also confirmed she was among those let go.

The reaction across the journalism world was one of anger and disbelief. In an essay for The Atlantic, former Post journalist Ashley Parker warned that while the newspaper has survived nearly 150 years as a pillar of American democracy, its current trajectory has placed that legacy in jeopardy.

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