Derek Thompson

The messy jungle of the 19th century is here to stay.

The question now for the Washington Post and for everybody else in my business is not how to escape the jungle, but how to survive in the jungle by doing good work that also happens to be good business.

I'm Derek Thompson.

This is Plain English.

Jim Vanda, hi.

Welcome to the show.

Great to be here.

Big fan.

Thank you.

I want to do something a little bit ambitious, maybe too ambitious, considering that you are my first pancake.

This is my first video podcast.

I want to tell a 20-year history of The Washington Post that doubles as a 20-year history of changes to the media and political landscape that I know you've reflected on in recent essays since this is the 20-year anniversary of you leaving The Washington Post and starting Politico.

I want to tell a 20-year history

And let's start with the news of the moment.

One third to one half of the staff of the Washington Post has been laid off.

The CEO has resigned.

The owner, Jeff Bezos, is nowhere to be seen.

I mean, I really looked hard at what is a larger layoff in modern American newspaper history, right?

One third to one half of the Washington Post.

Very difficult to find, which means you're in this moment where one of the richest newspaper owners in American history is overseeing one of the largest newspaper layoffs in modern American history.