The Washington Post is undergoing significant personnel and structural changes, drawing attention from commentators like Christopher F. Rufo, who characterized the shifts as a "cleaning out of the woke." Rufo's recent tweet specifically named journalists Jenn Rubin, Taylor Lorenz, Philip Bump, and Catherine Rampell, suggesting their departures or diminished roles as part of this trend. However, a review of recent developments indicates a more complex picture, with some individuals having indeed left the publication while others remain.
Jennifer Rubin, a long-time opinion columnist, resigned from The Washington Post in January 2025 to launch her own Substack newsletter, "The Contrarian." Her departure was accompanied by criticisms of corporate media, as she stated in her first piece for the new site, "Corporate and billionaire owners of major media outlets have betrayed their audiences’ loyalty and sabotaged journalism’s sacred mission." Similarly, Taylor Lorenz, known for her technology and internet culture reporting, departed the Post in October 2024, with reports citing a "rift with editors" as a contributing factor.
Conversely, not all individuals mentioned in Rufo's tweet have left the publication. Philip Bump continues his tenure at The Washington Post, having transitioned from the news desk to the opinion section in January 2025. Catherine Rampell, the columnist who authored the August 2024 opinion piece titled "Doug Emhoff, modern-day sex symbol," also remains a columnist for the Post, despite conservative criticism of the article.
These individual personnel changes occur within the broader context of a major organizational overhaul at The Washington Post. The newspaper appointed Will Lewis as its new CEO and publisher in January 2024, followed by the unexpected resignation of Executive Editor Sally Buzbee in June 2024. These leadership changes are part of a strategic effort to address significant financial losses and a 50% decline in readership since 2020, with the Post announcing a new editorial structure and a focus on "service journalism."
Christopher F. Rufo, a prominent conservative activist, interpreted these developments through an ideological lens, stating in his tweet: > "They are basically cleaning out the woke at WaPo: Jenn Rubin, Taylor Lorenz, Philip Bump, now the woman who called Doug Emhoff a 'modern-day sex symbol.' The signals have inverted: it is now low-status and low-security to be woke." While Rubin and Lorenz have indeed left, the Post's official statements and broader media coverage attribute the changes to a strategic business transformation aimed at improving financial stability and readership.