{"id":2564685,"date":"2026-02-05T15:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T20:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/far-left-journalist-blames-conservatives-after-wapo-layoffs-apparently-we-should-fund-our-own-smear-campaign-9\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T15:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T20:07:13","slug":"far-left-journalist-blames-conservatives-after-wapo-layoffs-apparently-we-should-fund-our-own-smear-campaign-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/far-left-journalist-blames-conservatives-after-wapo-layoffs-apparently-we-should-fund-our-own-smear-campaign-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Far-Left &#8216;Journalist&#8217; Blames Conservatives After WaPo Layoffs \u2013 Apparently We Should Fund Our Own Smear Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffar-left-journalist-blames-conservatives-after-wapo-layoffs-apparently-we-should-fund-our-own-smear-campaign-9%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2564685&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Washington Post recently announced sweeping layoffs and acknowledged declines in search traffic and daily output, admitting that much of its coverage was directed at a narrow slice of readers and that trust in the paper had weakened. The piece argues that this admission should have ended the discussion, but it continues by contrasting opinions about whether there is a viable market for conservative-oriented hard news. It cites Alex Kirshner\u2019s claim that there isn\u2019t a serious market for such reporting, while the author contends there absolutely is, blaming biased editorial choices for alienating a broad audience.<\/p>\n<p>The author describes a shift since the Obama era,when legacy outlets\u2019 reporting and tone diminished trust,leading many conservatives to seek alternatives.The piece highlights the rise of online platforms, social media, and talk radio as real-time, self-reliant sources that better align with conservative audiences\u2019 views, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >effectively rendering bloated newspaper staffs unnecessary<\/a>. It argues that conservatives did not ask to become villains in the national media story and were not obligated to bankroll perceived smear campaigns; rather, they responded to a market that favored more direct, less adversarial reporting.<\/p>\n<p>Personal anecdotes are sprinkled throughout,including reflections on reading habits before digital media and on longstanding distrust of a biased press. The overall message is that legacy media\u2019s business model is collapsing because it did not serve a plural, truth-seeking audience, and that the market has spoken through the growth of alternative media ecosystems.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>When The Washington Post announced sweeping layoffs this week, those in charge at the dying legacy outlet briefly flirted with some honesty.<\/p>\n<p>The paper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/late-breaking-bloodbath-washington-post-hundreds-fired-entire-divisions-shuttered-sports-desk-gone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">acknowledged<\/a> that its search traffic has been cut in half over a three-year period. Daily story output had also dropped. The brass even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cwyn05d1494o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">admitted<\/a> that much of the garbage being put out was &ldquo;for one slice of the audience,&rdquo; as the BBC reported.<\/p>\n<p>That should have been the end of the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>But for so many people on the left, self-reflection is impossible.<\/p>\n<p>Alex Kirshner, a contributing writer for the leftist outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/author\/alex-kirshner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Slate<\/a>, responded to a post on these facts by Max Tani of Semafor with an absurd claim.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is not a serious market for &lsquo;hard news&rsquo; for conservatives,&rdquo; Kirshner wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>He added that editors know this, but would rather &ldquo;scold their own employees for not doing an impossible job.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There is not a serious market for &#8220;hard news&#8221; for conservatives. Murray knows this. Every editor at every major news publication in the country knows this. They just don&#8217;t want to say why and would prefer to scold their own employees for not doing an impossible job <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bnmPFmbMJU\">https:\/\/t.co\/bnmPFmbMJU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alex_kirshner\/status\/2019079924426895791?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>That statement is beyond detached from reality.<\/p>\n<p>There absolutely is a market for hard news among conservatives. There always has been. If you&rsquo;re reading this now, that&rsquo;s why.<\/p>\n<p>What there is not a market for is paying to be lied to, sneered at, and treated like an enemy.<\/p>\n<p>For most of America&rsquo;s history, newspapers were edited for Americans. Plural. They landed on doorsteps and job sites. In the last century, many people read more than one paper a day.<\/p>\n<p>They might have argued about opinions, but people more or less trusted the facts.<\/p>\n<p>My own father, a blue-collar conservative, read multiple newspapers while working. I read them, too. Local and national.<\/p>\n<p>I bought my last physical newspaper somewhere around 2007.<\/p>\n<p>There was a moment when it hit me that I was reading things written by people who hated me, and that I was funding it.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, better reporting was already migrating online.<\/p>\n<p>The broader shift was not by accident. Newspapers became stale and rabidly ideological. The bias stopped hiding. Reporting during the Obama years shattered what little trust remained for millions of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>That is when conservative media exploded.<\/p>\n<p>Not because conservatives rejected journalism, but because legacy outlets like The Washington Post rejected their audience. If they had done their jobs, people like me would not have ours.<\/p>\n<p>Conservatives did not wake up one day itching for alternative media. We were pushed there after growing tired of being the target of a daily, coordinated assault on our values, our families, our faith, and our country.<\/p>\n<p>So we tuned out, changed the dial, and stopped paying for the war on us.<\/p>\n<p>Now, entire media ecosystems exist that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/far-left-journalist-blames-conservatives-after-wapo-layoffs-apparently-we-should-fund-our-own-smear-campaign\/\" title=\"Far-Left &#039;Journalist&#039; Blames ... After WaPo Layoffs \u2013 Apparently We Should Fund Our Own Smear Campaign\">make bloated newspaper staffs unnecessary<\/a>. We can watch news unfold in real time on X. We can follow reporters directly on YouTube or Rumble.<\/p>\n<p>We can choose writers who respect the truth and us.<\/p>\n<p>Talk radio is no longer the last refuge. The monopoly the left had on information systems was taken without a single piece of legislation. The market spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Without a business model that forces their product into American homes, newspapers like The Washington Post are failing. And now we are told that the failure is our fault.<\/p>\n<p>Some have even blamed Jeff Bezos for refusing to endlessly subsidize the decline. In reality, he looks like a parent who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/far-left-journalist-blames-conservatives-after-wapo-layoffs-apparently-we-should-fund-our-own-smear-campaign-2\/\" title=\"Far-Left &#039;Journalist&#039; Blames ... After WaPo Layoffs \u2013 Apparently We Should Fund Our Own Smear Campaign\">finally stopped enabling adult children<\/a> who refuse to change.<\/p>\n<p>Reality is crashing down on legacy media.<\/p>\n<p>A company that writes for a narrow audience, admits it has tunnel vision, and routinely misleads readers is no longer profitable? How is that my problem or my concern?<\/p>\n<p>Conservatives did not ask to become villains in the national media&rsquo;s story, and we are not obligated to bankroll our own smear campaign.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a concise paraphrase of the core point:<\/p>\n<p>When The Washington Post announced layoffs, management acknowledged a significant decline in traffic\u2014about a 50% drop over three years\u2014and a reduction in daily reporting, admitting much of what they publish targets a narrow slice of readers. Some on the political left resisted acknowledging this reality. For example, Alex Kirshner claimed there isn\u2019t a real market for conservative hard news, suggesting editors know this but scold staff for not doing an impossible job.<\/p>\n<p>The piece argues that this view is out of touch: there is a substantial audience for hard news among conservatives, and what\u2019s lacking isn\u2019t demand but trust and truthful treatment. Historically, newspapers served a broad audience and readers trusted the facts, but the rise of online reporting and increasing ideological bias eroded trust during the Obama years, helping spur the growth of conservative media. Conservatives didn\u2019t abandon journalism out of nowhere; they left because legacy outlets often failed to serve their readers. Today, real-time updates on social platforms and direct reporting from independent outlets fill the gap, reducing the need for bloated, traditional newsroom models. Legacy papers like The Washington Post struggle financially, and some blame readers or subsidies rather than the business model itself. The piece argues conservatives aren\u2019t villains in the media story, and they aren\u2019t obligated to bankroll a smear campaign; the problem is a misalignment between a narrow editorial focus and a broad audience that seeks truthful reporting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2564686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WashPo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4539,7970,56439,72954,72346],"class_list":["post-2564685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-conservatives","tag-layoffs","tag-media-bias-2","tag-smear-campaign-2","tag-washington-post-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WashPo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2564685"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2564689,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564685\/revisions\/2564689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2564686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2564685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2564685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2564685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}