Two of The Washington Post’s top political journalists have left to join The Atlantic — as the storied newspaper continues to bleed talent at the close of a tumultuous year.

On Tuesday The New York Times reported that Washington Post correspondents Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer would be joining the staff of the magazine ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration. The Atlantic’s recruitment drive is reportedly part of a larger expansion with the outlet backed by billionaire investor Laurene Powell Jobs as it seeks to “hire roughly a dozen new reporters and editors to beef up its politics coverage,” according to a spokeswoman for the publication. The publication’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, told the Times that he wanted the “best” journalists in the industry to position The Atlantic “to cover the incoming administration rigorously.”

Additionally, Puck correspondent Dylan Byers reported Monday that reporter Josh Dawsey and White House reporter Tyler Pager were two of several other Post staffers “mulling a transfer or have already decided to exit.”

The defections follow months of reported strain at The Post. A significant shake-up began in June when chief executive Will Lewis led a reorganization that preceded the departure of top editor Sally Buzbee. The wave of exits […]