Shashi Tharoor and his son Ishaan Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor slams Washington Post for son's ouster, calls it 'perverse act of self-immolation'
Congress leader calls the 'bizarre' decision to axe his columnist son's job as a 'perverse act of self-immolation' as the publication cuts its global staff
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor blasted The Washington Post for sacking his son, Ishaan Tharoor – a respected international affairs analyst with a large online following – along with 300-plus journalists and staff laid off this week by the struggling publication.
Tharoor took to X to question the logic behind the newspaper, which is undergoing a massive restructuring, for sacking his son Ishaan since his WorldView column had “flourished” online, attracting more than 500,000 subscribers. Further, Tharoor suggested the Post could have easily monetised that kind of reach instead of what he described as a “perverse act of self-immolation."
He referred to the so-called “business decision” made by The Post as a "bizarre thing" to have happened. "I've met foreign ministers, diplomats, and scholars who read him daily," Tharoor asserted.
His remarks echoed historian Andre Pagli, who praised Ishaan as unmatched in his field. “Nobody better — or even equal to — Ishaan in his domain… Saddened by the news but confident we’ll get to read much more by him before long,” Pagli posted on X.
Laid off
On Wednesday night, Ishaan Tharoor confirmed on X that he had been laid off from The Washington Post.
“I have been laid off today from The Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and many other wonderful colleagues,” he wrote. “I’m heartbroken for our newsroom, and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post’s international coverage.”
Ishaan recalled launching 'WorldView' in 2017 to help readers "better understand the world and America's place in it" and said, "I'm grateful for the half a million loyal subscribers..."
A bad day
In a follow-up post, Ishaan Tharoor shared an image from inside the newsroom, where a poster bearing the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was visible, captioning it simply as “a bad day”.
The sweeping job cuts at The Washington Post have stunned the media industry, sparking widespread criticism and concern. Former executive editor Marty Baron offered one of the sharpest reactions, describing the layoffs as among the bleakest moments in the paper’s history and raising alarm over the future of "rigorous, fact-based journalism".
Reports suggest the reductions impacted international desks, local reporting units, and parts of the business side, effectively dismantling much of the organisation’s global coverage infrastructure. Observers warn the move could have lasting repercussions for the reach and credibility of the publication’s journalism worldwide.
Anti-India coverage
The Washington Post, traditionally holding a center-left to liberal editorial orientation, underwent a significant shift following 2025, with owner Jeff Bezos steering its opinion section toward a focus on personal liberties and free markets.
Notably, the paper has produced intense, critical coverage of the Indian government, particularly in 2024, focussing on allegations of democratic backsliding and digital censorship.
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