New York — In an effort to address long-standing internal concerns and recapture its competitive edge, The Washington Post is overhauling its homepage. The redesign is a critical component of publisher and chief executive Will Lewis’s broader plan to rejuvenate the financially challenged newspaper, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. This year, the paper is projected to lose around $50 million—a modest improvement from last year’s $77 million loss but still far from a sustainable financial trajectory.
At the heart of the changes is the need to modernize the paper’s digital front door, which has been a frequent target of complaints from Post staffers for its outdated and uninspiring layout. The old homepage, they argue, lacked coherence and featured too few stories, limiting its ability to showcase the breadth of the paper’s journalism. In contrast, competitors like The New York Times offered more dynamic, content-rich pages that drew envy from within the Post’s newsroom.
Lewis has been candid about these shortcomings, addressing them directly in his weekly memo to staff on Friday, where he described the redesign as an “important step forward.” The changes, according to Lewis, are part of a broader set of improvements aimed at positioning the Post for a return to profitability. “Many of you have expressed your dislike of the previous version,” Lewis wrote, acknowledging the frustrations of editors and reporters alike. “I agreed and encouraged you to improve it, and you did just that.”
The new homepage, launched last week, has already been hailed as a marked improvement. According to Matt Murray, the recently appointed executive editor, this revamp is just the beginning of a series of upgrades aimed at enhancing the user experience and improving editorial presentation. One of the most notable changes is the doubling of available space for top stories, with six featured slots now replacing the previous three—a development that has been widely praised within the newsroom.
“Before, there was a lot of competition for those top slots, and it often created frustration among section editors trying to push their stories to the forefront,” explained one reporter. Now, with more room to showcase high-priority pieces, the Post hopes to better engage readers and keep them on the site longer.
In addition to these structural changes, certain editorial choices have also been reconsidered. Opinion pieces, for example, now occupy a more prominent position on the homepage, reflecting their role in driving reader interaction and debate. Meanwhile, less popular sections, such as “Help Desk” and “Technology,” have been removed, signaling a more focused editorial approach. Staff members suggest that further adjustments and refinements to the homepage will be introduced in the coming months.
While a significant portion of the Post’s audience accesses its journalism through alternative channels—such as social media and email newsletters—the homepage has regained importance in light of recent industry shifts. With social media platforms like Facebook scaling back their referral traffic to news sites and Google integrating more artificial intelligence into its search results, The Washington Post has recognized the renewed significance of its digital front door.
The redesign is also symbolic of the rapid pace of change under the new leadership team. Since taking the reins as publisher and CEO in January, Lewis has been tasked with reversing the paper’s fortunes. He quickly laid out a turnaround plan, one that was welcomed by many in the newsroom. However, his tenure has not been without controversy. Earlier this year, Lewis faced allegations regarding his involvement in covering up a UK phone-hacking scandal—accusations he has vehemently denied. The scandal temporarily dampened morale at the Post, but Lewis has been working to regain trust, regularly using his weekly memos to update staff on progress.
In his most recent communication, Lewis struck an optimistic tone, noting that the newspaper had achieved its “highest net growth week of the year for subscriptions.” He attributed this success to the collective efforts of the team, highlighting the critical role of collaboration in rebuilding the subscriber base. However, despite the positive momentum, the Post has not disclosed its current number of digital subscribers. The last publicly available figure was 2.7 million, but insiders suggest that the company is keen to grow that number significantly in the months ahead.
The homepage redesign is not the only recent initiative aimed at reinvigorating the newspaper. Earlier this summer, the Post launched a new marketing campaign, “Switch On,” which plays off its famous slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” The campaign is part of a broader effort to raise the paper’s profile and expand its readership, particularly among younger, digitally savvy audiences.
Lewis’s challenge is clear: to make The Washington Post not only financially viable but also a digital-first publication capable of competing at the highest level. The redesign is a key part of that strategy, but it is only the beginning of what many expect to be a comprehensive transformation.
