Washington Post Opinion Staffers Reportedly ‘Relieved’ as Editor Adam O’Neal Quietly Exits: ‘He Was a Nightmare of a Manager’

Adam O’Neal (Screenshot/AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Staffers of The Washington Post’s once vaunted opinion section are reportedly “relieved” to see editor Adam O’Neal finally depart after a relatively brief tenure at the legendary outlet.

O’Neal announced his departure earlier in the summer, and Status’ Natalie Korach reported the young editor has barely been around since.

“O’Neal practically slipped out the back door of The Post, drawing as little attention to his departure as possible, and winding down his presence at the K Street offices well before his official end date,” according to Korach.

“Indeed, Status has learned that since announcing his forthcoming exit in July, O’Neal has barely been seen in person by staffers, aside from the all-hands meeting where he addressed his departure and offered little explanation beyond personal family reasons.”

Korach noted even those O’Neal brought into the fold were having a tough time:

O’Neal’s hushed departure caps off a rocky tenure that lasted barely a year—even as he came into the job telling people privately it would be his last in journalism—and was defined by his rightward push of the section. Staffers, I’m told, are relieved to see him go. His decisions, one told Status, generated “unnecessary negative PR” for the section. “He was a nightmare of a manager,” another said, noting that toward the end, O’Neal had begun to clash with even some of the staffers he personally brought to the section. “His own hires were basically revolting against him.”

O’Neal took over as Amazon billionaire and owner of The Post Jeff Bezos publicly announced a shift in the outlet’s op-ed section to focus on “personal liberties and free markets.”

It’s unclear who will take over in the long term, according to the report:

In the meantime, Mark Lasswell has been tapped as interim top opinion editor. I’m told Lasswell is well-liked across The Post, with multiple people describing him as “fair.” And it wouldn’t be shocking if Lasswell’s appointment were eventually made permanent, particularly after current chief executive and publisher Jeff D’Onofrio similarly ascended to the top job on an interim basis before quietly taking over permanently. A spokesperson for The Post did not respond to requests for comment about the search to replace O’Neal. “If Mark stays as top editor and he’s allowed to do his job without interference, there’s a chance the bleeding will stop,” the person added.

O’Neal, who could not be reached for comment by Mediaite, did not respond to Status’ request for comment.

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