The Washington Post will close its remaining bureaus outside the US capital, the paper said Wednesday, in an attempt to cut costs in the prevailing economic climate.

The daily said it would close bureaus in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, pulling back to focus on local news and national politics coming out of Washington. Reporters from the three bureaus will be reassigned to the capital.

'The fact is, we can cover the rest of the country from Washington,' Marcus Brauchli, the Post's top editor, was quoted as saying. He said the paper would continue to rely on travelling reporters to write about issues around the country.

The Washington Post and most other US newspapers have struggled over the last few years with falling advertising revenue. The Post itself has already gone through four early retirement buyouts to cut staff.

The Post is the fifth-largest US daily by circulation.

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