Oral History Interviews

Interview: Brian O'Neill

Date of Interview: Aug. 27, 2020
Place of Interview: Pittsburgh
Interviewer: Ford Risley

Biographical Summary
Brian O’Neill was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in Long Island. He graduated from Syracuse University and his first job was as a reporter at the Danville (Virginia) Register. He later joined the Roanoke Times & World-News where he eventually became a columnist. In 1988, he moved to the Pittsburgh Press where he wrote a column four days a week. When the Press was sold to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1993, he joined the staff as a columnist. He wrote a column three days a week until he retired in 2020.

Interview Highlights
O’Neill speaks about his family and education; about working as a reporter at the Danville (Virginia) Register; about working as a reporter and a columnist at the Roanoke Times & World-News; about joining the staff of the Pittsburgh Press and later the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a columnist; about the role of a local columnist and his approach to writing a column; about some of his memorable columns; about his book, the Paris of Appalachia; about the changes in the newspaper business during his career; and about his affection for Pittsburgh.

Complete Interview Brian O'Neill