The Washington Post’s opinion editor is leaving after about a year.
Adam O’Neal was hired as part of owner Jeff Bezos’s push to champion “personal liberties and free markets” in the opinion section. O’Neal had been a correspondent at The Economist. A replacement hasn’t been named.
Bezos unveiled the changes to the Post’s opinion page in a note to staff in early 2025.
“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets,” Bezos wrote at the time. “We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”
While newspaper owners generally set the direction of opinion pages, the shake-up sparked criticism. Former Post editor Martin Baron said it ran counter to the paper’s history of championing editorial independence.
“Bezos argues for personal liberties,” Baron said at the time. “But his news organization now will forbid views other than his own in its opinion section.”
In a Friday memo, O’Neal said that the section’s work had “become more relevant, accessible, and consequential” during his tenure.
“During my first six months, Opinions users more than doubled their time spent on the site,” he wrote. “Editorial pageviews grew by triple-digits year over year.”
“Both subscription starts and entrances from search ticked up,” he added.
Below are the memos that O’Neal and acting publisher and CEO Jeff D’Onofrio sent on Friday:
Here’s O’Neal’s memo:
Team, I’m writing to announce that I have decided to leave The Washington Post. My last day will be August 31. It has been a remarkable year, and I’m very proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I joined The Post to lead the opinion section as it began a new chapter, and we have made dramatic changes over the past year. We quickly embraced our mission of championing free markets and personal liberties while simultaneously putting Post Opinions on a sustainable footing. Our work has become more relevant, accessible and consequential. We regularly publish world-class journalism that finds the audience where it is. This includes agenda-setting columns; news-breaking op-eds; highly influential editorials; and social media content that reaches millions of new people. During my first six months, Opinions users more than doubled their time spent on the site; editorial pageviews grew by triple-digits year over year; and both subscription starts and entrances from search ticked up. I want to thank Jeff Bezos, Jeff D’Onofrio and the entire leadership team. And I especially want to thank everyone in Post Opinions. It has been an honor to have worked with such exceptional people at such an exceptional institution. While this was not an easy decision, I am leaving proud of how far the opinion section has come and optimistic that its best days lie ahead. Please join me at 11:30 a.m. for an all-hands meeting. With gratitude, Adam
D’Onofrio’s memo:
The Washington Post isn’t The Washington Post without our Opinions section. Its critiques and columns spark robust discussion, and under the provenance of our owner, we opened the doors last year to a wider audience by examining today’s issues under the lens of two values that are intrinsic to our country — free markets and personal liberties. This past year, under the leadership of Adam O’Neal, Post Opinions has become more balanced in perspective, more financially sustainable and more accessible to readers than ever before. As Adam shared, he has made the decision to step down, with Aug. 31 as his last day. I want to thank him for his leadership and hard work in reimagining the section. Over the coming weeks, we will work to transition Post Opinions leadership. More to come on that front. Jeff
