Washington Post’s retreat from Asia is a reminder of American insularity

Read more at straitstimes.com.

SINGAPORE -- The surprise was not that the Washington Post laid off journalists, the shock was that one of America’s most venerated journalistic institutions decimated about a third of its employees in one fell swoop.

The deep cuts announced in early February gutted, among others, the Post’s award-winning stable of foreign correspondents, leaving only two known reporters remaining in Asia and indeed the Indo-Pacific -- a term the Americans use to refer to the region spanning the Indian and Pacific oceans -- which remains of utmost economic, military and strategic importance for the US in countering China’s might.

WaPo’s shrinking coverage of the world at a time of immense global change underscores a deepening American insularity and the lack of general American interest in international developments, accentuated in the age of Trump.

“It’s a tragedy because it’s avoidable,” said Mr James Fallows, whose long association with The Atlantic magazine began after working as President Jimmy Carter’s speechwriter in the late 1970s.

In reportedly laying off more than 300 of its roughly 800-strong newsroom, WaPo’s Executive Editor Matt Murray blamed mounting losses that had gone on for far too long, telling newsroom employees the company had not met readers’ needs amid the declining subscriptions.

Many observers suggest the Post’s financial woes were aggravated by politically-driven decisions. Editors resigned and subscribers cancelled after Mr Bezos reportedly blocked the publication of a presidential endorsement of Ms Kamala Harris 11 days before the 2024 election, refashioning the Opinion Desk to only cover personal liberties and free markets.