The Washington Post lost $77 million over the past year, stemming from a 50% decline in audience since 2020, with the outlet's publisher telling staff that "we are in a hole."
Further, staffers were told in a strategy announcement Wednesday that moving forward, artificial intelligence will be "everywhere in our newsroom," Semafor reported.
Post Publisher Will Lewis presented the dire financial report to employees Wednesday morning, countering that with the announcement of new tiers of subscription offerings called Post Pro and Post Plus.
"To speak candidly: We are in a hole, and we have been for some time," Lewis told employees.
The Post's announcement of Lewis' presentation didn't mention the use of AI as part of the newspaper's revenue-boosting efforts moving forward, saying only that the Post "will begin experimenting with the new offerings over the next few months."
Regardless, Lewis outlined the three pillars of the Post's new strategy: great journalism; happy customers; and making money.
"If we're doing things that don't meet all three … we should stop doing that," Lewis told employees, according to Semafor.
"I hope in the future you see this day as a significant day in the history of our company," said Lewis, who joined the Post in January.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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