Washington post cuts one-third of climate reporting staff as environmental journalism faces crisis

The Washington Post announced major staff reductions this week, eliminating roughly one-third of its workforce and delivering a significant blow to environmental journalism. Among the casualties were at least a dozen reporters, editors, and visual journalists who covered climate change and environmental issues, drastically reducing the newspaper’s capacity to report on what it once called “perhaps the century’s biggest story.”

The cuts represent a stark reversal from the Post’s strategy just three years ago, when the publication nearly tripled the size of its climate desk under then-executive editor Sally Buzbee. At that time, the newspaper recognized that climate change wasn’t merely a specialty beat but a story that touches virtually every aspect of news coverage, from economics and politics to health and international affairs. After the layoffs, the climate desk is expected to retain only a handful of reporters.

This dramatic downsizing extends far beyond one newsroom’s internal restructuring. It reflects a broader crisis facing the institutions responsible for maintaining accurate, comprehensive reporting on complex and politically contested issues like climate change. Quality environmental journalism serves a crucial but often invisible coordinating function in society—helping citizens understand interconnected systems, track accountability, and make informed decisions about urgent environmental challenges.

As more than 300 journalists lose their jobs at the Post, the cuts underscore growing concerns about the media’s ability to cover the climate crisis with the depth and consistency it demands. The timing is particularly troubling as environmental challenges intensify and the need for reliable, accessible climate information becomes increasingly critical for public understanding and policy decisions.