The Washington Post CEO Will Lewis’ major project at the paper has seemingly failed as two of its top staffers are leaving amid the paper’s looming buyouts.
The Jeff Bezos-owned paper on Tuesday saw Dave Jorgenson, the face of the Post’s TikTok page, and Krissah Thompson, the managing editor placed in charge of its confusing “third newsroom” endeavor, announce they would leave the paper at the end of the month.
Jorgenson, who led the Post to Gen Z acclaim in leading its TikTok and YouTube efforts, told The New York Times that Lewis was essentially “rolling out the red carpet” when the paper announced a buyout initiative in May for staffers who weren’t aligned with his vision.
“I am just not convinced that they have the best road map right now,” Jorgenson told the Times, describing an “inconsistent vision” and inexplicable staff changes.
He plans to launch his own company based on his personal YouTube page, Local News International, which sees Jorgenson take on a Ron Burgendy-esque likeness as he comments on the news. His video announcing his departure saw him “write” a letter to Bezos about his exit.
Jorgenson plans to take the Post‘s former head of video, Micah Gelman, and Gelman’s deputy, Lauren Saks, with him, he told the Times. His YouTube page has 99,000 subscribers, while his TikTok page has nearly 88,000—a far cry from the Post‘s 2.8 million on YouTube and 1.9 million on TikTok.
A Post spokesperson declined to comment, saying the paper did not comment on personnel matters, and Jorgenson and Thompson did not respond to immediate requests for comment. The departures reflect how Lewis’ strong-arm tactics have continued to alienate staffers, leading to scores of high-profile departures since he took over the paper in January 2024.
Executive editor Matt Murray told staffers in a memo on Tuesday that Thompson was an “unerring source of good advice and support,” and she took on WP Ventures, the “third newsroom,” in December with “a desire to innovate, enormous curiosity and, of course, leadership.”
Lewis announced the “third newsroom” in June last year, describing it as a “service and social media”-focused initiative that would aim to bring more readers to the Post separate from its newsroom and opinion section.
What that would look like, however, was shrouded in mystery, and the project only took on the “WP Ventures” name seven months later while working to create “new commercial opportunities for consumer and lifestyle journalism.”
The project was meant to rope in the audio, video, Well+Being, and newsletters sections. The paper hired Samantha Henig last year as WP Ventures’ general manager.
It’s unclear, however, what leadership of the division will look like once Thompson departs. Status reported on Monday that Lewis would announce on Tuesday the paper was “rethinking” its approach to the project, one that led to then-executive editor Sally Buzbee’s resignation last year and has prompted confusion among Post staffers for months.
Henig told staffers in a memo on Tuesday the “third newsroom” would become an independent venture outside the newsroom and opinion structure, allowing it to focus on “personality-driven content.”
“By setting up our creator-driven experimentation outside the newsroom going forward, under a brand distinct from The Washington Post’s core news brand, we can explore different ways of working—including the freedom to express a point of view and enhanced brand integrations," she wrote.
Breaker Media, written by former Daily Beast editor-at-large Lachlan Cartwright, also documented how the venture became a “complete catastrophe” earlier this month.
The Post did not answer questions on Tuesday about what the project’s future would look like. The fast-approaching buyout deadline is July 31, and longtime reporter Dan Balz, Supreme Court reporter Ann Marimow, and beloved editors Hank Stuever and Mike Semel are reported to have taken the deal to leave.
Thompson, who started as an intern at the paper before ascending to a managing editor title, wrote on LinkedIn on Tuesday that her 24 years at the paper was an “honor of a lifetime” and that she planned to take a break from the industry and spend time with her family.
“I look forward to finding new ways to support journalists and the mission that brought me to this work in the first place,” she wrote.
