The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a brutal blow to one of journalism's legendary brands.

The troubled Post began implementing large-scale cutbacks on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists it stations overseas. The changes were announced by executive editor Matt Murray in a Zoom meeting with staff.

The staff reduction is a significant psychic blow at the Post, known in history books for its Watergate revelations and most recently for aggressive coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump's cutbacks to the federal workforce, and for journalism in general.

"It's an inconceivable transformation of our newsroom. I don't know how we are going to go back to work and try to cover this moment in America and the world without them," said Sarah Kaplan, a steward for the Washington Post Guild who reports for the paper's climate section.

"I don't think that any of us anticipated that it was going to be this bad.... Every single notification that I received was a gut punch."

Staff members in the newsroom were told they would be getting emails with one of two subject lines, announcing that the person's role has or hasn't been eliminated. A Post representative confirmed that one-third of the staff would be cut, without saying how many total employees the newspaper has.

The newspaper's books department will be closed, and its Washington-area news department and editing staff will be restructured, Murray told staff members. Its Post Reports podcast will be suspended.

Murray acknowledged the cuts will be a shock to the system but said the goal is to create a Post that can grow and thrive again.

"The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company," a Post spokesperson said in a statement.

"These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets the Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers."

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