By Lauren Burke
The Washington Post, which has long defined itself as the “paper of record” alongside its competitive rivals, The New York Times, is now witnessing a major exodus of Black journalists. Though the U.S. is becoming more diverse, the Post isn’t.
The Post’s headquarters sits in the middle of the District of Columbia, which has a 43 percent Black population and a historic Black university less than two miles away. Yet The Post has never had a history of staff diversity. The recent departure of Black journalists is seemingly related to an anti-diversity backlash led by President Trump after the 2020 George Floyd “racial reckoning”. Trump’s executive order, signed less than 48 hours into his second term on January 21, declared policy war on the diversity and inclusivity of historically marginalized groups. Trump’s George Floyd backlash, alongside separate claims of defamation by the president, has led to his targeting of law firms, media organizations, and academic institutions. Several media companies, such as ABC and CBS, have capitulated to Trump. The Washington Post appears to be doing so in advance, as Post owner Jeff Bezos has business before the federal government related to his ownership of Blue Origin and Amazon. The current moment now witnesses an exodus of Black journalists not seen in the paper’s history. In recent years, journalists Vanessa Williams, Wesley Lowery, and Kevin Merida have departed The Washington Post. But the current departures include journalists with decades of experience and several Pulitzer Prizes. The current exodus is noteworthy even by the Post’s low standards for diversity. The Post went for close to a year without a single Black member of the Editorial Board. Currently, the only Black member, the obscure Keith Richburg, is in Hong Kong. The National Association of Black Journalists noted the issue in a July 26 press release.
NABJ stated that they are “closely monitoring the recent wave of departures and voluntary exits from several legacy media institutions, including The Washington Post. This ongoing disruption has far-reaching implications for newsroom diversity, representation, and the future of Black journalists.” The list of departures includes two Pulitzer Prize winners: Jonathan Capehart, an opinion columnist who has been with the Post since 2007 and is taking a buyout offer. Capehart also recounted a racial episode in 2024 in his book related to his former colleague Karen Tumulty, who was deputy opinions editor at the time. Tumulty has now been promoted to lead the Post’s politics coverage. Post editorial board member Karen Attiah announced on social media on July 22 that she was “the last Black staff columnist left in the Washington Post’s opinion section.” On July 21, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toluse Olorunnipa, who was the White House Bureau Chief for The Washington Post, announced he was now a writer at The Atlantic. Olorunnipa won the Pulitzer for the book “His Name is George Floyd” in 2023 for General Nonfiction. Several Post journalists have fled to The Atlantic. Other departures include Eugene Robinson and Krissah Thompson, who was the only Black managing editor on the masthead.
“After 24 years at The Washington Post, I’m turning the page on this chapter of my career. I’m grateful for the wonderful experience that I’ve had and the contributions that I’ve made over 24 years as a reporter, editor, and news leader,” Thompson wrote on her Instagram page on July 23. Trump’s executive order, which called for the termination of all federal government programs relating to “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,” appears to have been obeyed even by private sector actors under no obligation to comply. Post CEO Will Lewis has remained in charge despite a 2024 controversy surrounding his connections to a scandal related to the illegal phone-hacking of members of the British royal family. Many recent hires at the Post have been in some way connected to the more conservative The Wall Street Journal. The latest round of buyouts ends on July 31, so many more departure announcements are expected this week.
