The Washington Post was ordered to rehire columnist Karen Attiah, who had been fired due to social media posts she made after the assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. Kirk was killed in September on a Utah college campus, causing widespread sadness among conservatives and prompting President Donald Trump to threaten a crackdown on the “radical left.”
Attiah, who worked at the Post for 11 years, shared Kirk’s racist remarks about Black women on social media and stated she wouldn’t express sadness over his death. The Post fired her, accusing her of “gross misconduct” and violating their social media policies.
An arbitrator ruled in Attiah’s favor on August 24, ordering her reinstatement and back pay, stating the Post lacked sufficient cause for her dismissal. Attiah expressed happiness at the decision, claiming she was forced out for speaking the truth.
The Post acknowledged the arbitration process but declined further comment. At the time of her firing, Attiah was the only Black full-time opinion columnist at the paper. She had previously recruited journalist Jamal Khashoggi to write for the Post, publishing his final column after his 2018 murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Attiah has long advocated for human rights and free expression, continuing this work since her return.