Washington Post ordered to rehire opinion writer sacked over Charlie Kirk posts
On Monday, the arbitrator ruled the writer should be reinstated and compensated for her lost wages
The Washington Post has been ordered to reinstate an opinion columnist who was fired over social media comments about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
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The newspaper was instructed to reinstate Karen Attiah, formerly an editor on the opinion desk, by an independent arbitrator after it was found to have violated her rights as a unionised employee.
On Monday, the arbitrator ruled she should be reinstated and compensated for her lost wages.
Kirk, an influential ally of Donald Trump, was shot dead on 10 September 2025 during an event at Utah University.
Following his assassination, Attiah wrote on social media: "Refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is … not the same as violence."
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Another post read: "If anything, the rush to coddle violent white men is self-protective - that we know they are not used to feeling vulnerable and mortal - and will react violently out of fear. And we will all suffer."
She was sent a termination letter for "gross misconduct" on 11 September.
The letter said: "Your public comments on social media regarding the death of Charlie Kirk violate the Post's social media policies, harm the integrity of our organization, and potentially endanger the physical safety of our staff."
Respnding to the arbitrator's decision, she said: “This decision confirms what we’ve said from the start: I was doing my job as an opinion journalist, and doing that job is not misconduct.
“After spending over a decade of my career at the Post as an editor and an opinion columnist focusing on race, gender and global human rights, I’m relieved to finally have that record set straight … I hope that this win sends a message to journalists and media institutions everywhere that freedom of expression is always worth fighting for.”
The Post had argued that Attiah was fired for violating the company’s social media policy dictating that employees “must not harm the editorial integrity or journalistic reputation of The Post”.
A spokesperson for the Post said it respected the arbitration process, but declined offer further comment on the matter.
Attiah was backed by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, which represents most Post employees, and Democracy Defenders Action, a legal advocacy group.