Petition: Bezos Must Stop Gutting the Washington Post

The Washington Post’s latest round of staff cuts under Jeff Bezos’s ownership represents a dangerous weakening of one of the most important newsrooms in American democracy. Slashing reporters, editors, and beats is not a neutral business decision—it directly reduces the Post’s ability to cover elections, corruption, foreign affairs, and abuses of power at a moment when rigorous journalism is urgently needed.

When a paper of the Post’s stature shrinks its newsroom, the damage ripples far beyond one institution. Fewer journalists means fewer investigations, less accountability, and more space for misinformation and authoritarian narratives to thrive. Treating newsroom staff as expendable undermines the Post’s public mission and accelerates the broader collapse of trust in the media.

We call on Jeff Bezos to halt further cuts and reinvest in the Washington Post’s newsroom. A free press cannot function without the people who produce it, and democracy cannot afford a diminished Post. Journalism is a public good, not a line item to be sacrificed for short-term financial goals.