Sally Buzbee has stepped down as executive editor of The Washington Post, the newspaper announced on Sunday.
In the newsroom restructuring, Matt Murray, former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, will replace Buzbee until the 2024 U.S. presidential election in November, after which Robert Winnett, deputy editor of The Telegraph Media Group, will take on a newly-created editor role.
“Sally is an incredible leader and a supremely talented media executive who will be sorely missed. I wish her all the best going forward,” William Lewis, CEO and publisher of the Post, wrote in a statement.
Buzbee, who joined the Post in 2021, was the first woman to lead the nearly 150-year-old newspaper. Under her leadership, they won significant awards, including the recent Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.
Murray, who steps into the position immediately, said in a statement, “I’m deeply honored to join such a storied news institution with its long, rich history of memorable and impactful journalism and want to thank Sally for her great leadership. I am excited by Will and Jeff’s vision for the Post’s next era of growth and reinvention and can’t wait to get started.”
The Post also announced it’s launching a new division of the newsroom focused on service and social media journalism. It will run separately from the main news operation.
Following the November election, Murray will oversee this new division, while Winnett will lead the “core coverage areas,” including politics, investigations, business, technology, sports and features. David Shipley will continue to oversee the opinions section.
Murray and Winnett will each report directly to Lewis.
