Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor expressed sharp criticism on Wednesday after his son Ishan was laid off by the renowned newspaper, The Washington Post. Tharoor described the company's decision as a baffling business move.Owned by Jeff Bezos, The Washington Post has executed a massive round of layoffs, shedding about a third of its workforce, over 300 journalists. Among them is Tharoor's son, Ishan Tharoor.Questioning the publication's commercial logic, Shashi Tharoor took to social media, highlighting that Ishan's column was extremely popular online, with his WorldView newsletter amassing more than half a million subscribers.Tharoor shared that on his travels, he met foreign ministers, diplomats, and scholars who regularly read Ishan's articles. According to Tharoor, shutting down such a widely-read newsletter is incomprehensible. He sarcastically remarked that the newspaper could have monetized the newsletter, but terminating it seems self-destructive.
The Largest Cut in History
On February 4th, The Washington Post's Executive Editor Matt Murray announced these layoffs in a company-wide call. The publication described it as a 'painful but necessary' step to tackle declining digital traffic and financial losses nearing $100 million. This move is considered the largest cut in the newspaper's 150-year history. Alongside Ishan, most international staff and many seasoned colleagues also lost their jobs.Ishan Tharoor, who was a Senior International Affairs columnist and anchor of the WorldView column at The Washington Post, shared the layoff news, revealing that he was let go.
Ishan Expresses Disappointment
He wrote, 'Today I was laid off by The Washington Post, along with most of the international staff and many other remarkable colleagues. I am disheartened for our newsroom, particularly those unparalleled journalists who served internationally at the Post—editors and correspondents who have been my friends and peers for nearly 12 years. Working with them was an honor.'Reflecting on his contributions, Ishan said, 'I started the WorldView column in January 2017 to help readers better comprehend the world and America's place in it. I'm grateful to those half a million loyal readers who've been consistently reading this column multiple times a week over the years.'
