Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Columnist Karen Attiah

Karen Attiah, a longtime columnist for The Washington Post and the lone Black staffer for the publication’s opinion desk, was fired after social media posts regarding Charlie Kirk. A private arbitrator examined the matter and found that the Post had no grounds to fire Karen Attiah and has been ordered to reinstate not only her former position but lost back pay and benefits.

As reported by the Associated Press, an arbitrator determined that Karen Attiah’s firing from the Post over her posts on the Bluesky social media platform were not grounds for her to lose her role at the paper.

In last Thursday’s ruling, it was added that along with the Post not having due cause to fire Attiah, they most also restore her lost wages and benefits.

Attiah was among many public and private figures who reacted to Kirk’s September 2025 slaying at Utah Valley University. Kirk, 31, had become a right-wing firebrand known for putting forth messages promoting Christian values, family, and turning a critical eye at Black and other minorities with reportedly divisive and contradictory messaging.

Via Bluesky, Attiah mused on the reaction to Kirk’s death from targets of his frequent critiques that many in right-wing and conservative media found offensive and tasteless considering the manner in how Kirk died.

Attiah has not made a full public statement but did take to social media to celebrate the news and promised to expound on the findings. After she was fired by the Post on September 11 for gross misconduct, Attiah launched an independent column dedicated to her work as a writer and thought leader.

Read Karen Attiah’s latest Substack column regarding The Washington Post row here.

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Photo: Getty