Sally Buzbee is stepping down as executive editor of The Washington Post

NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Post said Sunday that its executive editor, Sally Buzbee, has resigned after three years at the helm of one of journalism’s most storied brands.

She will be replaced by Matt Murray, former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, until this fall’s presidential election. Robert Winnett, deputy editor of the Telegraph Media Group, will subsequently take over as editor as the newsroom restructures its operations.

No reason was given for Buzbee’s departure. She was not quoted in the news release announcing her departure and did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The station also announced that it is launching a new division in its newsroom dedicated to reaching audiences who want to pay for and consume news in a different way.

Buzbee, a former top editor at The Associated Press, was tapped as the Post’s top editor in May 2021. She replaced a storied predecessor, Martin Baron, after the Post exploded in popularity during the Trump administration.

Buzbee was the first woman to serve as executive editor of The Washington Post. And like Jill Abramson, the first woman to be a top editor at The New York Times, her tenure was short: Abramson held the job from 2011 to 2014.

It’s been a financially unhappy few years for the news industry, including the Post. It has drained subscribers to the point where the new editor, Will Lewis, told employees last month that the paper lost $77 million last year.

“To be honest, we’re in a hole and have been for some time,” Lewis said, according to the Post.

Lewis was appointed late last year to replace Fred Ryan as Post editor. He worked at both The Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph in England, the places he turned to find his new executives.

He talked about creating a tiered subscription plan for The Post, similar to the one at Politico. In an email to employees Sunday night, Lewis said the new department will focus on more video storytelling, embrace artificial intelligence and flexible payment methods. It will start this fall, he said.

In a previous meeting, “we highlighted the need to move away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach in the news industry and focus on creating news for a wider range of readers and customers.”

It heralds a change in the traditional structure of the Post Office. In his note, Lewis mentioned “three redactions”. Winnett will not take on the title of executive editor, but will be responsible for the “core areas of coverage” of politics, investigative, business, technology, sports and features. He has led The Telegraph’s news operations since 2013, the Post said.

Murray will take over as leader of the newly created department starting Nov. 6, the Post said. No one will have the title of executive editor: Murray, Winnett and David Shipley, the editorial page editor who will lead the “opinion desks,” will each report directly to Lewis, the Post said.

“By creating three strong journalistic functions – core, service/social and opinion – we’re taking a definitive step away from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and moving towards meeting audiences where they are,” said Lewis.

The station won three Pulitzer Prizes last month, including one for national reporting for a lively series on the impact of the AR-15 rifle.

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David Bauder writes about the media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder.

David Bauder, The Associated Press