Washington Post opinion editor Adam O’Neal speaks out about paper’s challenges

Exclusive – Not every day is a young man who was assigned to repair the editorial pages of a major newspaper that they just joined. But this is the situation that Adam O’Neill, 33, found in the Washington Post.

“I just feel a tremendous responsibility for getting this correctly.” Fox News digital In his first interview since he became the new opinion editor in the Post.

O’Neal joined the post in July after working as a reporter for the British outlet The Economist and as a writer on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal. It was “immediately fascinated” before Viral mission statement The owner of the billionaire was placed in the paper, Jeff Bezos, in February, saying that the editorial pages in the Post will enhance “personal freedoms and free markets” to move forward and pledge not to publish opposition to these principles. Pesus Decree led to the immediate resignation of the predecessor O’Neill, David Shipley.

The basic principles of personal freedoms and free markets were the concepts that O’Neill thought was “deprived of the current media environment.”

“To be able to start this, as North Star, but you have the ability to build about it as an intellectual basis, knowing that there is still a huge room inside free markets and personal freedoms for a strong discussion about the future of America was very attractive to me,” O’Neill said. “Thus, when I started talking to the post, I managed to be clear and direct about what I thought this means and we went from there. I was very happy to see him, and I also learned more about the role and see the future, so I was parallel to it and I was very excited to get to work when changing this place.”

The CEO of Washington Post urges employees who do not feel compatible with the new trend of the acquisition.

Adam O’Neil spoke with Fox News Digital about his first interview as an opinion editor in the Washington Post. (Louis Pallo/ Washington Post)

O’Neil is called the current status of the editorial pages “Work in progress” and that reshaping will take time. This includes redefining the sound of the editorial plate, which he says is still sophisticated.

“So we may say one day,” hey, as you know, the president has a good point around the Pailer Air Force Base, “right? In the last time, we may praise the Democrats who stand [New York City mayoral candidate Zohran] Mamdani and extremism. Meanwhile, we will criticize the Trump administration when we think they are wrong. Therefore, if anyone believes that our project here relates to one president or just tactical partisan movements, I think this is short -sighted, and they do not read, watch us or listen to us closely, frankly. ”

The pamphlet axis, however, does not come without danger. The Bizos Declaration announced a violent reaction from the left, providing the resignation between the employees and a huge wave of canceling the subscription, similar to the repercussions when Bezos is Eliminated support for the post From the president at the time, Kamala Harris just a few days before the November elections.

The duration of Jeff Bezos as the owner of the Washington Post in the spotlight while the paper wrestles with the low morale, the exit of the employees

Jeff Bezos, the owner of the billionaire in the Washington Post, sparked a liberal violent reaction to stop supporting the paper to the then head of the footnote, Kamala Harris, during the elections and for the liberation pages to promote “personal freedoms and free markets.” (Karwai Tang/WireMage; Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

“Our readers are very free, right?” O’Neel admitted. “They all exist with an overwhelming majority in the blue states. A few blue countries. They are excessively representatives on the coast. Thus, one of the ways to look at it will say,“ well, if you are not partisan, and you have very party readers, they may be hidden from that. “Perhaps this is true.

He continued, “Frankly, many people do not trust this position. They do not trust the main media on a larger scale. Thus, my mission is to use the types of people from all over the United States with different types of backgrounds, and intellectual diversity, who can be well.”

“Is it possible that the readers are not very like when we are not just a lining on one side on every issue? I do not think that this was always the case, but if there are people who have a vision that participating in this position was like a form of activity, and they should be fine, then I do not know that, then I do not know, the upward trend in terms of growth by attracting many Americans in rebuilding that confidence, for me, this is a clear decision. Very “.

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O’Neal expressed an excitement towards building his team because it aims to find people “outside the usual places” with different professional backgrounds, and they are working to employ ancient warriors or a commodity merchant in exchange for relying only on Ivy League graduates and respected economists.

“I have a degree in the press, I am sorry for the saying,” O’Neill admitted frankly. So some people can be able to reach [journalism school] Well, but we also really want to throw this wide network, and I think, over time, it will become a strategic advantage for us to obtain the sounds and minds that were ignored through the traditional way of thinking in the press. “

David Shipley resigned as an opinion editor in the Washington Post in February after Bezos announced the axis of the paper on the editorial pages. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

What matters to diversity in news rooms may be the subject of discussion. Karen Ata, the former Washington Post, who was expelled earlier this month because of her social media’s participation about the assassination of Charlie Kerk, said that she is “the last writer of my column in my full time” and that Washington, DC, “no longer has a paper that reflects [diverse] People who serve them (Attiah has since then Send a legal threat to the positionShe claims that she was finished wrong).

While he refused to comment on the employees ’issues related to Attiah, O’Neal challenged the idea that the overthrow of it means that the job editorial team lacks diversity.

“We will evaluate every possible rental on an equal footing. It is the quality of the press, the background and the knowledge they can bring to the job,” O’Neel said.

“I don’t think the opinion department will be in a place where we have stakes, and we only get people to get people because they have some non -changeable characteristics,” he added. “Therefore, I will not rent someone because of his race, gender, or anything like that.”

A columnist in the Washington Post launched social media posts after the assassination of Charlie Kirk

The past few years in the Washington Post have been troubled among the great financial losses, the exit of talents that fled to the competition outlets, and the low morale in the newsroom. Will Lewis, CEO of the British media, who will close to the mark of the two years as a publisher and executive director, has formed feathers throughout his term in the newspaper for his leadership style and his loud approach in difficult conversations. he Tell the famous employees In June 2024: “People do not read your belongings. I can no longer a sugar coat.” Lewis later walked these notes.

O’Neill Lewis described as a “great journalist” and is really good in his job.

“I came to this job with great respect and also confidence in the will, and it only grew,” said O’Neel. “He was a great guide, and we are completely compatible with the direction of travel. We have the same values ​​when it comes to the press and where we want to take this position. Will was very great to work for him.”

O’Neill says that the CEO of Washington Post and publisher Will Lewis are “great to work for him.” (Marvin Joseph/Washington Post via Getti Emiez)

O’Neill said he had not read many critical reports on Louis before joining the post. Instead, he relied on colleagues who worked with Lewis in other British publications. Talk about it hard.

He said: “I would like to say that he met my high expectations – he would not be subjected to will to meet my expectations, but I am really thinking about the man, as you know, go to the job that I did, and I still do that.”

Liberal critics have seen the Washington Post movements from Bezos as the sponsorship of the president Donald TrumpBut the “democracy that died in the dark” is in a good company. Other old news organizations have been accused of knee curvature, such as ABC and CBS, to settle millions of dollars in lawsuit with the president. Trump’s hostile relationship with the press only increased during his second term between his administration, which quarreled with the Associated Press about “The Gulf of America”, and they carry his goal in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and his hostility with ABC after Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the assassination of Kirk.

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While his colleagues in the media encrypt the threats of freedom of expression, O’Neill does not seem concern.

“For me, it comes to our press. I don’t really think about any noise outside of that,” O’Neel said. “We only offer the most accurate, interesting and attractive press for America. You feel crazy if you just think about how subscribers, politicians or those who respond to it. You just have to do what you think is right. And so I think about a journalist.”

O’Neill refused the concerns of the media industry about President Donald Trump and his various threats against news organizations. (Getty Images)

Several prominent columns in the publications have made purchases during the summer (Jonathan Kiphart, Catherine Rambil, Philip Bomb only, but not limited to). O’Neal is still optimistic that the employees who chose to stay on board really with the new task assigned to her hero.

“We do not want people here just resigned from changes,” well, maybe I can coexist with this, but they are really excited about it. ”

“I just came from this morning’s editorial meeting. It was active. We are facing discussions, and we all get to know each other better. So everyone who interacts with them has been launched. And we look, the place will still continue to change, right? We are still working on restructuring, and changing the workflow.” “Therefore, it is ever developing. But in my corner of the post, the opinion section, I only feel momentum and great energy. We were very clear with everyone about the direction of travel, and I am excited about that.”

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O’Neal does not only have to implement what he calls the “distinct voice” of the center on the editorial pages, but rather it must also bring the opinion section to the twenty -first century, while admitting that “it is not the place where it should be” in the continuous advanced media scene.

“I personally love printed newspapers. I enjoy a touch experience in reading a paper, and how it is organized. But some people want to get their news through Tiktok … some people prefer YouTube, podcast,” O’Neel said. And I think, frankly, we are playing caught because we did not do enough of that, and We put a large amount of resources, time and energy in any part of the press that we ultimately do, we must be able to present to you in the coordination you prefer. “

While he says the post’s opinion editor becomes “the challenge in my career, O’Neil insists that” he enjoys a lot. “

“My goal is to raise people around me and make their career fun and interesting as much as possible, because I know that many people, as you know, are not very happy with journalists. I think it is often with the mind. There have been a lot of failures in this industry to inform the public. So I see that this is an opportunity to obtain it correctly.”