Staffers at the Washington Post are still dealing with a "shock to the system" after layoffs slammed its sports department and other divisions on Wednesday, though supporters are now trying to alleviate some of that shock. A GoFundMe for those affected blew past $330,000 from more than 2,800 donors by Thursday morning, making it one of the more successful recent media-layoff fundraisers, per Business Insider. The drive was launched by Post reporter Rachel Siegel and the paper's union, with former Post star and tech journalist Kara Swisher topping the donor list at $10,000 after publicly urging others to give.
Per the Wrap, Swisher also wrote on social media: "My take today on [Post owner] Jeff Bezos since I met him at his struggling start up in the 1990s in Seattle: Twice the muscles, half the man." The fundraising campaign comes as executives execute what they describe as a sweeping restructuring aimed at cutting costs and narrowing coverage. Matt Murray, the Post's executive editor, told staff the paper will shutter its Post Reports podcast; trim beats, including sports, books, and foreign affairs; and double down on politics and national security. The Washington-Baltimore News Guild blamed "inexcusable business decisions" by leadership, while the company said the moves are necessary to stay competitive.
Platforms like Substack and Beehiiv, meanwhile, stepped in with offers of fee waivers and training for any laid-off Post journalists looking to build their own audiences. "For the most part, words fail," Siegel writes on the fundraising page, noting they intend to keep the GoFundMe open for a few more days. "But we are bowled over by the support that has been shown here." She notes that the money will be used to help "hundreds of our colleagues facing sudden job loss, moving costs, visa expenses, childcare, healthcare, meals and more."
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