Ishaan Tharoor, son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is among the many employees who lost their jobs at The Washington Post on Wednesday. The newspaper, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, laid off about one-third of its newsroom staff. Along with the job cuts, the paper has reportedly closed its sports department, shut several foreign bureaus, and stopped its books coverage.
Ishaan Tharoor worked as a senior columnist covering international affairs. He confirmed his layoff through social media. According to the report, more than 300 journalists were dismissed from a newsroom that had around 800 staff members.
Who Is Ishaan Tharoor?
Ishaan Tharoor is an international affairs journalist and columnist. At The Washington Post, he wrote on global politics and world issues. He is also known as the son of Indian politician and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Over the years, he built a strong reputation for explaining complex international topics in an accessible way for readers.
Ishaan Tharoor Reacts to Washington Post Layoffs
The layoffs affected many departments and are being seen as a major blow to the newspaper’s long-standing reputation. Ishaan shared a photo believed to be from the newsroom, showing a poster that read “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” He captioned the post “A bad day” after the mass layoffs. His father, Shashi Tharoor, reshared the post on X.
A bad day pic.twitter.com/cIX8rIjJPu
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026
In another message, Ishaan openly spoke about losing his job and expressed his sadness. He wrote, “I have been laid off today from The Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years. It’s been an honour to work with them.”
He also reflected on his work at the publication, saying, “I launched the WorldView column in January 2017 to help readers better understand the world and America’s place in it and I’m grateful for the half a million loyal subscribers who tuned into the column several times a week over the years.”
I have been laid off today from the @washingtonpost, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents…
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026
Major Cuts Across Washington Post Newsroom
Executive editor Matt Murray described the decision as difficult but necessary to reshape the newspaper and respond to changes in technology and how people consume news. “We can’t be everything to everyone,” Murray said in a note to staff members, according to the Associated Press.
News of the layoffs came out throughout the day. Claire Parker, the Cairo bureau chief, said on X that she had been laid off along with all of the Post’s Middle East reporters and editors. She wrote, “Hard to understand the logic.”
Murray informed employees that the layoffs would affect the international, editing, metro, and sports teams. The decision came shortly after the newspaper reduced its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics because of ongoing financial difficulties, Reuters reported.
The Washington Post, founded in 1877, was bought by Jeff Bezos in 2013. He purchased the newspaper from the Graham family for $250 million.
