Politics
Washington Post layoffs include entire Ukraine, Middle East bureaus – National TenX News
The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands.
The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and to weather changes in technology and user habits. “We can’t be everything to everyone,” Murray said in a note to staff members.
He outlined the changes in a companywide online meeting, and staff members then began getting emails with one of two subject lines — telling them their role was or was not eliminated.
Rumors of layoffs had circulated for weeks, ever since word leaked that sports reporters who had expected to travel to Italy for the Winter Olympics would not be going. But when official word came down, the size and scale of the cuts were shocking, affecting virtually every department in the newsroom.
“It’s just devastating news for anyone who cares about journalism in America and, in fact, the world,” said Margaret Sullivan, a Columbia University journalism professor and former media columnist at the Post and The New York Times.
“The Washington Post has been so important in so many ways, in news coverage, sports and cultural coverage.”
Martin Baron, the Post’s first editor under its current owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, condemned his former boss and called what has happened at the newspaper “a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.”
Journalists pleaded with Bezos for help
Bezos, who has been silent in recent weeks amid pleas from Post journalists to step in and prevent the cutbacks, had no immediate comment.
The newspaper has been bleeding subscribers in part due to decisions made by Bezos, including pulling back from an endorsement of Kamala Harris, a Democrat, during the 2024 presidential election against Donald Trump, a Republican, and directing a more conservative turn on liberal opinion pages.
A private company, the Post does not reveal how many subscribers it has, but it is believed to be roughly 2 million.
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The Post would also not say how many people it has on staff, making it impossible to estimate how many people were laid off Wednesday. The Post also did not outline its finances.
The Post’s troubles stand in contrast to its longtime competitor The New York Times, which has been thriving in recent years, in large part due to investments in ancillary products such as games and its Wirecutter product recommendations. The Times has doubled its staff over the past decade.
Eliminating the sports section puts an end to a department that has hosted many well-known bylines through the years, among them John Feinstein, Michael Wilbon, Shirley Povich, Sally Jenkins and Tony Kornheiser. The Times has also largely ended its sports section, but it has replaced the coverage by buying The Athletic and incorporating its work into the Times website.
The Post’s Book World, a destination for book reviews, literary news and author interviews, has been a dedicated section in its Sunday paper.
A half-century ago, the Post’s coverage of Watergate, led by intrepid reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, entered the history books. The Style section under longtime Executive Editor Ben Bradlee hosted some of the country’s best feature writing.
All Mideast correspondents and editors laid off
Word of specific cuts drifted out during the day, as when Cairo Bureau Chief Claire Parker announced on X that she had been laid off, along with all of the newspaper’s Middle East correspondents and editors. “Hard to understand the logic,” she wrote.
Lizzie Johnson, who wrote last week about covering a war zone in Ukraine without power, heat or running water, said she had been laid off, too.
The paper’s Ukraine bureau chief Siobhan O’Grady said it was “the honor of my life” to serve in the position, suggesting she too had been let go.
Anger and sadness spread across the journalism world.
“The Post has survived for nearly 150 years, evolving from a hometown family newspaper into an indispensable national institution, and a pillar of the democratic system,” Ashley Parker, a former Post journalist, wrote in an essay in The Atlantic. But if the paper’s leadership continues its current path, “it may not survive much longer.”
Fearing for the future, Parker was among the staff members who left the newspaper for other jobs in recent months.
Atlanta paper also makes cuts
Also on Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which stopped print editions and went all-digital at the end of last year, announced that it was cutting 50 positions, or roughly 15% of its staff. Half of the eliminated jobs were in the newsroom.
Murray said the Post would concentrate on areas that demonstrate authority, distinctiveness and impact, and resonate with readers, including politics, national affairs and security. Even during its recent troubles, the Post has been notably aggressive in coverage of Trump’s changes to the federal workforce.
The company’s structure is rooted in a different era, when the Post was a dominant print product, Murray said in his note to the staff. In areas such as video, the outlet hasn’t kept up with consumer habits, he said.
“Significantly, our daily story output has substantially fallen in the last five years,” he said. “And even as we produce much excellent work, we too often write from one perspective, for one slice of the audience.”
While there are business areas that need to be addressed, Baron pointed a finger of blame at Bezos — for a “gutless” order to kill a presidential endorsement and for remaking an editorial page that stands out only for “moral infirmity” and “sickening” efforts to curry favor with Trump.
“Loyal readers, livid as they saw owner Jeff Bezos betraying the values he was supposed to uphold, fled The Post,” Baron wrote. “In truth, they were driven away, by the hundreds of thousands.”
Baron said he was grateful for Bezos’ support when he was editor, noting that the Amazon founder came under brutal pressure from Trump during the president’s first term.
“He spoke forcefully and eloquently of a free press and The Post’s mission, demonstrating his commitment in concrete terms,” Baron wrote. “He often declared that The Post’s success would be among the proudest achievements of his life. I wish I detected the same spirit today. There is no sign of it.”
The ex-girlfriend of Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid — who admitted live on television to being unfaithful in their relationship — has responded to his plea for forgiveness.
His ex-girlfriend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Norwegian tabloid VG, said it will be “hard to forgive” Laegreid for his actions and for choosing to publicly air his indiscretions.
“I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it,” she told the publication.
“We have had contact, and he is aware of my opinions on this,” she added.
VG said it had contacted Laegreid for comment, but he did not wish to respond to his ex-girlfriend.
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Laegreid, a world champion biathlete and Olympic medallist, revealed shortly after finishing third in the biathlon — on live TV — that he had cheated on his now-ex-girlfriend three months into their six-month relationship.
“Six months ago, I met the love of my life — the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. Three months ago, I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her,” he said.
Sturla Holm Laegreid, of Norway, reacts after he won bronze in the men’s 20-kilometre individual biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Laegreid said Tuesday that he told his former girlfriend about his affair a week ago.
In her statement to the Norwegian outlet, she thanked those who had supported her since Laegreid’s revelation.
“To my family and friends who have embraced me and supported me during this time… also to everyone else who has thought of me and sympathized, without knowing who I am,” she said.
In a press conference shortly after his admission and bronze medal win, Laegreid told reporters he hoped he hadn’t ruined fellow teammate and gold medallist Johan-Olav Botn’s day.
“I don’t know if it was the right choice or not, but it was the choice I made,” he said. “I made the choice to tell the world what I did so maybe there’s a chance she will see what she really means to me — maybe not, but I don’t want to think I didn’t try everything to get her back.”
On Wednesday, Laegreid said he should not have used the moment to centre personal issues.
“I deeply regret sharing this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon,” he said in a statement issued by the Norwegian team.
“I am not quite myself these days, and not thinking clearly,” he said.
“My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after winning gold. They also go to my ex-girlfriend, who unwillingly ended up in the media spotlight. I hope she is doing well. I cannot undo this, but I will now put it behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not answer any further questions about this,” his statement concluded.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has cancelled his planned trip to Germany for a global security conference in the wake of the deadly mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., his office confirmed Wednesday.
The Prime Minister’s Office statement also said Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Housing Minister Gregor Robertson will be in Tumbler Ridge on Wednesday to lead the federal response to Tuesday’s deadly shooting.
“The Prime Minister is remaining in the National Capital Region at this time, and we can confirm that previously announced travel for the coming days has been cancelled,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement at noon eastern time.
Carney was due to travel to the Munich Security Conference on Wednesday evening after being expected to announce his government’s defence industrial strategy at an event in Halifax.
That announcement has been postponed until a later date, the PMO said.
In the immediate wake of Tuesday’s shooting, Carney’s office had initially said his planned travel abroad had been suspended “for the time being.”
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The Munich Security Conference is a key annual gathering for world leaders to discuss defence issues. Carney was originally due to stay in Munich until Sunday.
The PMO said Wednesday that Defence Minister David McGuinty, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon will travel to Munich on Carney’s behalf while the prime minister remains in Ottawa.
Nine people were killed in the Tumbler Ridge attack, including six people who were found dead inside the town’s secondary school and a seventh victim who died while being airlifted to hospital. Two other victims were found dead in a residence.
The suspected shooter was found dead with a self-inflicted injury, police said.
Carney told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday that flags on federal buildings will be lowered to half-mast for seven days in honour of the victims.
“We will get through this, we will learn from this, but right now it’s a time to come together, as Canadians always do in these situations — these terrible situations — to support each other, to mourn together and to grow together,” he said.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Political leaders from around the world are expressing their condolences following the mass school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., that left nine people dead, as well as the shooter, and 27 injured.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says flags on federal buildings will be flown at half-mast for seven days to honour the victims of the shooting.
“Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, are waking up this morning, without one of their loved ones. It is a difficult time. Canada is grieving, grieving with you,” Carney said in a media scrum outside the Liberal caucus on Wednesday morning.
“We will get through this, we will learn from this, but right now, it’s the time to come together as Canadians always do in these situations.”
The prime minister also said he has heard from numerous world leaders following the tragedy with “solidarity and compassion.”
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra
“Our hearts and prayers are with the community of Tumbler Ridge and all of British Columbia today. My personal prayer is that in these difficult times, they find the peace and comfort that only He can provide,” Hoekstra posted to X.
A statement posted to X on behalf of King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were profoundly shocked and saddened to learn of the attack and expressed their “deepest possible sympathy” to those grieving the loss of their loved ones.
“In such a closely connected town, every child’s name will be known and every family will be a neighbor,” he said.
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“We can only begin to imagine the appalling shadow that has now descended across Tumbler Ridge and our hearts go out to all those whose lives have been shattered by this senseless act of brutal violence.”
The King also thanked the police and staff at the town’s health centre.
President of France Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that “horror has struck a school in Tumbler Ridge, Canada.”
“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, the injured, and the entire educational community. France stands alongside the Canadian people,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy posted on X that he is “shocked” by the news.
“We are shocked by the news of the shooting at a school in Tumbler Ridge, Canada. When children are killed, no one should remain indifferent. Such tragedies should never happen anywhere, in any country in the world. We hope that all those who were injured will recover quickly,” he wrote.
“On behalf of all Ukrainians, I express our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones, to all Canadians, and to Prime Minister Mark Carney.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences in a post on X.
“Deeply shocked by the horrendous shooting in Canada,” Modi wrote.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands in solidarity with the people of Canada in this moment of profound grief.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he sends “my sincere condolences to all Canadians impacted by this horrific event.”
“I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the tragic attack in Tumbler Ridge secondary school,” his post on X reads.
“Australian hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims and we are all thinking of those injured.”
Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz
The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, shared a statement of condolence.
“This morning we received terrible news from Canada. The school shooting, which claimed numerous lives, has deeply shaken us. Our thoughts are with the people of Tumbler Ridge as they mourn their families, friends, and loved ones. I wish those who were injured a swift recovery,” Merz posted on X.
Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said his country extends their support.
Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the news has shaken many.
“We were deeply shaken by the news of the deadly shooting at a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, in which several people lost their lives. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, to the Canadian people — especially the residents of British Columbia and Tumbler Ridge — as well as to Prime Minister Mark Carney,” Plenkovic posted to X.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ex-girlfriend of Norwegian Olympian responds to cheating revelation – National TenX News
Carney cancels trip, sends ministers to B.C. after Tumbler Ridge shooting TenX News
World leaders react to ‘senseless’ Tumbler Ridge shooting: ‘Horror has struck’ TenX News
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