Buzbee’s resignation comes after the publisher told employees the paper lost $77 million last year.
The Washington Post’s top editor, Sally Buzbee, has resigned after three years at the helm of one of America’s most storied publications.
Buzbee will be replaced by Matt Murray, a former Wall Street Journal editor, by the end of the U.S. presidential election in November 2024, the Wall Street Journal said in a statement posted on its website Sunday.
Robert Winnett, deputy editor at Britain-based Telegraph Media Group, will take over as editor-in-chief after the election, the paper said.
The Post also announced it would launch a “new division of the newsroom” focused on social media journalism and services that would cater to audiences who want to consume and pay for news in ways different from traditional models.
The reason for Buzbee’s departure was not revealed, and the Post’s announcement did not include any statement from Buzbee.
CEO and publisher William Lewis, who joined the Post in January, described Buzbee as “an incredible leader and a very talented media executive who will be sorely missed.”
“I wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” Lewis said.
Murray said he was “deeply honored” to take on the role and expressed gratitude for Buzbee’s leadership.
“We are thrilled with Will and Jeff’s vision for the next era of growth and reinvention of Post and can’t wait to get started,” he said, referring to Post owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The reorganization comes as the Post, like other media companies, is struggling with declining profits.
Last month, Lewis told a company town hall meeting that the newspaper had lost many subscribers and lost $77 million last year.
“Quite frankly, we are in trouble and have been for a while,” Lewis told employees, according to the Post.
In an effort to restore the paper’s finances, Lewis proposed the creation of membership programs and subscription tiers called Post Pro and Post Plus.
Buzbee, the first female editor-in-chief in the Post’s 144-year history, will succeed Marty Baron in 2021 after spending more than 30 years at the Associated Press.
Under Buzbee’s leadership, the Post has won six Pulitzer Prizes, including three last month.
