Karen Attiah’s future at The Washington Post is in doubt after a fraught one-on-one meeting with Adam O’Neal, the paper’s newly installed opinion editor, according to a report.
Sources told the Status newsletter that last month’s discussion between Attiah and O’Neal, a former Economist correspondent who has been meeting columnists to say their work does not fit his vision and suggest they consider buyouts, was uncomfortable and did not go well.
Attiah, a staunch anti-Trump commentator, had publicly noted prior to the meeting that she remained at the paper amid the latest exodus in which colleagues were taking voluntary packages.
She wrote on X: “So… officially, I’m the last Black staff columnist left in the Washington Post’s opinion section.” Keith Richburg and Theodore Johnson, both of whom are black, continue as contributing writers.
At that time, Attiah was weighing whether to take the newspaper’s voluntary departure package or continue working at the publication owned by Jeff Bezos, the Status newsletter reported.
During a tense sit-down following her post on X, Attiah chose not to take the buyout.
O’Neal had been conducting individual sessions with various columnists, where many heard similar messages suggesting their writing didn’t match his plans for the section and that they might want to accept the buyout offer.
While O’Neal may have expected Attiah to follow other colleagues who left after receiving similar messages, and Attiah might have hoped for reassurance about her place at the paper, neither outcome occurred, according to the report.
Despite rising tensions, Attiah recently published an article for the outlet about gaining muscle through bodybuilding, describing it as a “deeply feminine act of self-consciousness.”
Inside the opinion shop, O’Neal’s standing is unsettled, according to the report.
Much of the previous leadership and several marquee voices are gone, and some of those who remain view him skeptically.
The New York Post has sought comment from Attiah, O’Neal and the Washington Post.
Signs of that editorial turn emerged this week after O’Neal ran an opinion piece by Jay Bhattacharya, an official in the Trump administration, arguing that the Health and Human Services decision to “wind down its mRNA vaccine development activities” was a “necessary” step, a stance that drew reader criticism.
He also published an op-ed from Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host who is now a district attorney, promoting “the fight to make DC safe and beautiful.”
That piece arrived amid President Donald Trump’s takeover of Washington, DC’s police force.
A former Washington Post opinion editor told Status that management at the newspaper was “turning The Post into a mouthpiece for the Trump administration,” and said such pieces would not have cleared under earlier section leaders.
Under Bezos, the newsroom that has been repeatedly reshaped over the last two years.
In October, the Washington Post broke with tradition by halting presidential endorsements and later announced a significant shift in its opinion strategy emphasizing personal liberties and free markets.
The move preceded the exit of opinion editor David Shipley and drew backlash from alumni and readers.
