Fact check: The Washington Post Has Officially Lost 90 Percent of Its Readership

1. Summary of the results

The claim about a 90% readership loss requires important context and nuance. Multiple sources confirm a significant decline in readership, though the exact numbers vary by metric:

• Daily site visitors dropped from 22.5 million (January 2021) to 2.5-3 million (summer 2023), representing an ~87% decline ^{[1] [1]}
• Digital visitors decreased from 114 million (November 2020) to 54 million (November 2023) ^{[1] [1]}
• The Post reportedly lost $100 million in 2024 due to weak subscription and ad revenue ^{[1] [1]}

However, there are conflicting reports, as one source indicates growth in digital readership as of December 2022, with a 10% month-over-month increase in page views and 7% year-over-year growth in unique visits ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial contextual factors are missing from the original statement:

• The decline appears to be tied to specific events and decisions:

Cancellations following a Kamala Harris endorsement decision ^[1]

Loss of top talent to competitor publications ^[1]

Changes in internal leadership ^[1]

Potential shifts in editorial direction under Jeff Bezos's ownership ^[1]

• The Post is actively working on recovery strategies:

Exploring AI and news aggregation solutions ^[1]

Planning workforce reductions to address financial losses ^[1]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement oversimplifies a complex situation:

• It presents the decline as a simple percentage without acknowledging different metrics or timeframes
• It fails to mention that different measurement methods show different results
• The term "officially" is misleading as these numbers come from various sources and measurements

Who benefits from this narrative:

• Competing news organizations benefit from portraying the Post's decline
• Political opponents of the Washington Post's editorial stance
• Critics of Jeff Bezos's ownership of the publication
• Alternative media platforms seeking to position themselves as more reliable news sources

The situation appears to be more complex than a simple 90% decline, though significant readership losses are confirmed by multiple sources.