Washington Post Opinions Editor Adam O’Neal To Depart After Leading Jeff Bezos-Planned Overhaul Of Section

The editor of the Washington Post‘s opinion section said that he would step down on August 31, after leading the section for just over a year during an overhaul directed by owner Jeff Bezos.

Opinion Editor Adam O’Neal wrote in a memo to staffers that while “this is not an easy decision, I am leaving proud of how far the opinion section has come and optimistic that its best days lie ahead.”

Earlier last year, Bezos announced that the opinion section would focus on “defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”

“We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others,” Bezos wrote.

At the same time, David Shipley departed as opinion editor.

CEO Jeff D’Onofrio wrote Friday in an email to staffer that during O’Neal’s tenure, “Post Opinions has become more balanced in perspective, more financially sustainable and more accessible to readers than ever before.”

“I want to thank him for his leadership and hard work in reimagining the section,” he wrote.

No successor has been named. The Guardian first reported on O’Neal’s departure plans.

The Post underwent a round of severe layoffs earlier this year, slashing a third of its workforce, ending its books coverage, and slimming down its metro and international staffs, among other cuts. The publication said the cuts were necessary to get on a more secure financial footing.