The Washington Post appears to be back in the business of sports coverage.
Less than two months ago, the hallowed newspaper axed its entire sports section in a sweeping round of layoffs that also touched the metro, books, and foreign desks. Just about the entire media industry ripped the Post and owner Jeff Bezos, who claimed he wanted the publication to continue growing amid the cuts. And in response to the layoffs, tens of thousands of subscribers reportedly canceled.
Yet with the MLB season opening this week, the paper quietly brought on a reporter to cover the Washington Nationals. More interestingly, the paper’s hire came from the rival Baltimore Banner, which made moves to hire D.C.-area sports in the aftermath of the WaPo cuts.
The reporter is Danielle Allentuck, who announced her new home on Opening Day.
As opening day winds down, a little update ~ I’ll be writing about the Nationals for the Washington Post this season. Should be an interesting year to follow, and I’m excited to be back in a ballpark
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) March 26, 2026
According to her LinkedIn page, Allentuck covered the Baltimore Orioles and other sports for the Banner from June 2023 until this past January. Her WaPo author page lists her as “a sports reporter covering the Nationals.”
The Washington Wizards and Capitals are still in season in D.C., but the Post appears to have prioritized baseball as it creeps back into sports. Earlier in March, Status reported that the Post was in contact with several former staffers about returning.
Unfortunately for them, many of the star columnists and general reporters whom the Post let go this winter have already been poached by ESPN and The Athletic in the weeks since the layoffs.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.