After the newspaper announced it would close its Sunday magazine and fire 11 newsroom employees, Publisher Ryan said in the meeting that job cuts would continue in the first few months of 2023.
Ryan did not disclose details, just stating that the company's 2,500 employees will likely experience reductions in the "single-digit" percentage. However, he added, the publication will create new jobs to make up for the loss of those that were "no longer serving readers" and that The Post's overall staff would not be decreased. Ryan attributed the job cuts to the deteriorating economic climate.
Ryan, after making the announcement, refused to take any questions. Multiple video clips show that he starts walking out as anxious employees try to ask him questions about the job cuts. Ryan started walking out while refusing to “turn the town hall into a grievance session".
“What are you going to do to protect people’s jobs? Are they going to be treated like the magazine staffers were?" asked one of the employees. “We’ll have more information as we move forward. Thank you very much," Ryan replied as he walked out.
Employee representation group, the Washington Post Guild, expressed its "outrage" over Ryan's reluctance to respond to inquiries. “It’s no reassurance to dedicated workers who have given years of service to this company that The Post will continue to hire new people even as they lose their jobs," it said in a tweet.
“Why can’t our publisher give us the transparency we hold as the central tenet of this news organization? How can he turn his back on workers with urgent questions and valid concerns?" the Guild said in another tweet.
“Washington Post employees — people with world-class experience, institutional knowledge and unique skills that can’t be easily replaced — must be part of any transformation to this company," announced the Guild as it vowed to fight for employee rights.
