Adam O'Neal introduces himself as the next Washington Post opinion editor. (Screen grab)
In the summer of 2022, staffers at The Dispatch gathered at the billionaire conservative activist Harlan Crow’s Camp Topridge in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The team had convened for a company retreat at Crow’s estate (yes, the same Crow of Clarence Thomas fame who is also an investor in the conservative outlet). The weekend was packed with strategy meetings, team-building activities aboard a luxury boat, and more. It was also the first time many had met their new executive editor, Adam O’Neal.
O’Neal, who was tapped last week by Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis to lead The Washington Post’s opinion division, had previously worked as an editorial page writer at The Wall Street Journal. But he was largely unknown to The Dispatch staffers at the time—just as he is now to journalists at The Post. When O’Neal was hired by The Dispatch bosses Stephen Hayes and Jonah Goldberg, there was cautious optimism about what his tenure might bring. But I’m told that excitement quickly evaporated at the retreat, where O’Neal irked members of the team with his coarse—and at times awkward—demeanor.
This story is based on conversations with multiple people familiar with O’Neal’s brief one-year stint at The Dispatch, as well as messages obtained by Status. O'Neal's time at the conservative outlet—what appears to be his sole newsroom management experience—is particularly relevant now, as he takes the helm at The Post. A spokesperson for The Post declined to comment for this story.
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Tucker Carlson. (Screen grab via YouTube)
Tucker’s Tail Tuck: Tucker Carlson phoned Donald Trump and expressed remorse for some of his recent comments about the conflict in Iran, the president disclosed Wednesday when asked about the right-wing podcaster. “Tucker’s a nice guy,” Trump told CNN's Kaitlan Collins. “He called and apologized the other day because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong, and I appreciated that.” Carlson also disclosed during a contentious interview with Ted Cruz that he had indeed spoken to Trump, though he made no mention of issuing the president an apology.
Meanwhile, the battle inside MAGA Media over Iran is still raging on. Ben Shapiro blasted "MAGA priests" like Carlson…
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