Michael Miller, the Washington correspondent based in Sydney for The Washington Post, has confirmed he has lost his job as the paper moves to scale back its international coverage, closing overseas bureaus and cutting hundreds of newsroom roles.
Miller, who served as the Post’s first Sydney bureau chief, announced the decision in a post on X, linking his departure to a broader retreat from foreign reporting. He wrote:
“It was an honor to be Washington Post‘s first Sydney bureau chief. Unfortunately, I’m also the last. The paper is shrinking foreign coverage. I’ve lost my job. Worse, millions of readers will lose my colleagues’ brilliant coverage. At a time of tumult, we need more info, not less”
His post came amid a wave of similar announcements from journalists across the newsroom, including senior international affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor, who confirmed his own layoff in a separate message on X.
Tharoor, who had worked at the Post for nearly 12 years, said he was leaving alongside most of the international staff. “have been laid off today from the @washingtonpost , along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally—editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years. It’s been an honor to work with them.”
Tharoor, the son of Indian writer and parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor, has been a prominent global affairs voice, while Miller’s role gave Australian readers direct access to Washington reporting from a local vantage point
He also reflected on the end of his WorldView column, which he launched in January 2017. “I launched the WorldView column in January 2017 to help readers better understand the world and America’s place in it and I’m grateful for the half a million loyal subscribers who tuned into the column several times a week over the years.”
The layoffs are part of a restructuring under the paper’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, which has included the closure of sports and books desks and the winding back of foreign bureaus. The changes follow a sustained drop in online readership over the past two years, adding financial strain to one of the world’s most recognisable newsrooms.
Tharoor, the son of Indian writer and parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor, has been a prominent global affairs voice, while Miller’s role gave Australian readers direct access to Washington reporting from a local vantage point. Their departures underscore how newsroom cutbacks are narrowing international coverage, even as geopolitical tensions and global uncertainty continue to intensify.
Maria Irene is India Correspondent for The Indian Sun, reporting on technology, finance, culture, and diaspora stories across India and Australia, with a special focus on initiatives led by the Australian High Commission and its Consulates across India
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