WaPo's opinion editor is leaving a year after a controversial shake-up. Read his memo to staff.
Adam O'Neal is stepping down as the opinion editor of The Washington Post after one year in the role. His tenure was marked by a strategic shift toward championing personal liberties and free markets, a direction initiated by owner Jeff Bezos.
Why it matters
The departure highlights ongoing internal tensions and editorial shifts at major media organizations under billionaire ownership.
The Washington Post's opinion editor is leaving after about a year. Kevin Carter/Getty Images The Washington Post's opinion editor said he's decided to leave after about a year. Adam O'Neal was hired as part of a shake-up pushed by owner Jeff Bezos. O'Neal said under him, the opinion page became "more relevant, accessible, and consequential." 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 .
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