As details leaked out about the Washington Post layoffs, it felt like The Express closing, DCist closing/WAMU staff reduction, and Washington City Paper stopping print publication all rolled up in one. And given all the history, as hard as it is to digest, it was even worse.

Yesterday was another very dark day for DC’s hometown paper the Washington Post. There is near universal agreement that this is a disaster for DC’s media coverage. There is also much pain over (basically) losing one of the best sports sections ever. Not to mention the reduction of foreign staff/bureaus. Just brutal. Obviously many folks will disagree with the note below but for posterity I’ll post their explanation:

“From Washington Post’s Executive Editor Matt Murray:

Dear All,

As we shared in our live stream earlier, the company is taking actions today to place The Washington Post on a stronger footing and better position us in this rapidly changing era of new technologies and evolving user habits.

These moves include substantial newsroom reductions impacting nearly all news departments. For the immediate future, we will concentrate on areas that demonstrate authority, distinctiveness, and impact and that resonate with readers: politics, national affairs, people, power and trends; national security in DC and abroad; forces shaping the future including science, health, medicine, technology, climate, and business; journalism that empowers people to take action, from advice to wellness; revelatory investigations; and what’s capturing attention in culture, online, and in daily life. (more…)