The Washington Post has laid off over one-third of its editorial workforce in sweeping cuts, eliminating its sports section, books coverage, and several foreign bureaus. Pranshu Verma, the American daily's New Delhi bureau chief, is among the 300 laid off.
On X, Verma said he was “heartbroken” and described his time at the newspaper as a privilege. “Heartbroken to share I've been laid off from The Washington Post. Gutted for so many of my talented friends who are also gone,” he wrote. “It was a privilege to work here for the past four years. Serving as the paper's New Delhi bureau chief was an honour.”
The layoffs have hit The Post's international coverage particularly hard, with large portions of its foreign staff affected. Ishaan Tharoor, a senior international affairs columnist and the son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is also among those who lost their jobs.
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Who Is Pranshu Verma?
- Pranshu Verma is a journalist based in the US. He earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Delaware and later completed a Master of Science in journalism at Columbia University.
- Verma began his journalism career at The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2019, first as an investigative reporting fellow and later as a reporting fellow. He covered New Jersey politics.
- He then worked at The New York Times as a reporter in the Washington, DC bureau. As a David Rosenbaum Fellow, he reported on the State Department, transportation, and economic sanctions. He joined Boston Globe Media in 2021 as a technology reporter until early 2022.
- In March 2022, Verma joined The Washington Post as a technology reporter based in Washington, DC. In May 2025, he was appointed New Delhi bureau chief for the newspaper. In this role, he led coverage of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.
- In 2024, Verma was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. He also received the Overseas Press Club Hal Boyle Citation and an honourable mention from the Society of Publishers in Asia. He is a member of the South Asian Journalists Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors.
