Shashi Tharoor's son Ishaan among staff hit by Washington Post layoffs

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s son, Ishaan Tharoor, was among the nearly one-third of employees laid off by The Washington Post on Wednesday.

 

The US daily newspaper, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, eliminated around one-third of its staff, shutting down its sports section and cutting back several foreign bureaus and books coverage in what has been described as one of the most brutal newsroom purges in recent years.

Ishaan Tharoor confirms layoff, calls it a ‘bad day’

 

Ishaan Tharoor, who worked as a senior international affairs columnist at The Washington Post, confirmed his layoff in a social media post, expressing anguish over the fate of his colleagues.

 

 

“I have been laid off today from the Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues,” Tharoor said in a post on X. “I'm heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years.”

 

He said it had been an honour to work with them and expressed solidarity with others affected by the layoffs.

 

In a separate post, Ishaan described the development as “a bad day”, sharing a photograph of an empty newsroom.

 

Ishaan also reflected on his work at the newspaper, saying launching the WorldView column in 2017 to help readers make sense of global affairs had been an honour. He thanked the roughly half a million loyal subscribers who followed his writing over the years.

 

I have been laid off today from the @washingtonpost, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents…

— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026

Reacting to the development, Shashi Tharoor, in a post on X, said, "The bizarre thing about this so-called 'business decision' by the Washington Post is that Ishan Tharoor’s column flourished on the Internet, where he had 500,000 (half a million plus!) individual subscribers for his “Worldview” newsletter".  "I’ve met Foreign Ministers, diplomats and scholars around the world who read him daily. One could have forgiven The Post for trying to monetize that kind of reach, but to abolish it instead seems a perverse act of self-immolation," Tharoor added.  

The bizarre thing about this so-called “business decision” by the @washingtonpost is that @ishaantharoor’s column flourished on the Internet, where he had 500,000 (half a million plus!) individual subscribers for his “Worldview” newsletter. I’ve met Foreign Ministers, diplomats… https://t.co/sE4EIVKFd7

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 5, 2026

Sports section shut, foreign bureaus scaled back

The mass layoffs resulted in the elimination of the newspaper’s sports section,  a department that had featured many well-known bylines, along with deep cuts across international coverage, editing, metro and sports desks. 

Staff members began receiving emails informing them whether their roles had been eliminated shortly after a companywide online meeting addressed the restructuring.

Why is the Washington Post cutting staff?

Executive editor Matt Murray described the layoffs as painful but necessary to put the newspaper on firmer financial footing amid changing technology and reader habits. “We can’t be everything to everyone,” Murray said in a note to staff, reported the Associated Press. 

Addressing employees during the online meeting, Murray said the reductions were essential as the newspaper adapts to an evolving media landscape. Murray said the Post would now focus on areas that demonstrate authority, distinctiveness and impact, including politics, national affairs and security. 

The layoffs come just days after the newspaper, founded in 1877, scaled back coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics amid mounting financial losses. “For too long, we’ve operated with a structure that’s too rooted in the days when we were a quasi-monopoly local newspaper,” Murray said during the call, reported Reuters, adding that the organisation needs “a new way forward and a sounder foundation”. 

He added, “Significantly, our daily story output has substantially fallen in the last five years". “And even as we produce much excellent work, we too often write from one perspective, for one slice of the audience", reported Associated Press.

Middle East bureau among units hit

Several foreign bureaus were affected by the cuts. Cairo bureau chief Claire Parker said on X that she had been laid off along with the entire Middle East reporting team, calling the decision “hard to understand”.

Laid off from the Washington Post, along with the entire roster of Middle East correspondents and our editors. Hard to understand the logic. But I am grateful for my incredible colleagues, whose grit and dedication to the reporting and each other I will miss dearly.

— Claire Parker (@cairo_claire1) February 4, 2026

 

Lizzie Johnson, who recently reported from Ukraine under war-zone conditions, also confirmed she was among those laid off.