The Washington Post’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, has stepped down after three years at the top of one of the US’s most respected news brands and will be eventually replaced by a veteran of the UK’s Daily Telegraph.

She will be initially replaced by Matt Murray, former editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, until this autumn’s presidential election. Robert Winnett, currently deputy editor of the Telegraph Media Group, will take over as editor following the election.

No reason was given for Buzbee’s departure. She wasn’t quoted in the news release announcing her departure and did not immediately return a message seeking comment from the Associated Press.

Buzbee, former top editor at the Associated Press, became the first woman to be executive editor of the Washington Post in May 2021. She replaced Martin Baron, after the Post exploded in popularity during the Trump administration.

However, it has been a miserable few years financially for the news industry, including for the Post. It has bled subscribers, to the point where new publisher Will Lewis told employees last month that the newspaper lost $77m last year.

“To speak candidly, we are in a hole, and have been for some time,” Lewis said, according to the Post.

Lewis was named late last year to replace Fred Ryan as Post’s publisher. He has worked at both the Wall Street Journal and the Telegraph in the UK, both places he turned to find new executives.

He’s talked about creating a multi-tier subscription plan for the Post, similar to that in place at Politico. In an email to employees late on Sunday, Lewis said a new department begin operation later this year that will focus on more video storytelling, embrace artificial intelligence and flexible payment methods.

Lewis said he had highlighted the need to “move away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach in the news media industry and focus on creating news for a broader range of readers and customers.”

The Post won three Pulitzer prizes last month, including one in national reporting for a series on the impact of the AR-15 rifle.