A columnist for The Washington Post has been reinstated with back pay after challenging her dismissal last year, which stemmed from her commentary on slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Karen Attiah announced her victory on social media, sharing a video of herself dancing and stating, “POV: Channeling my inner Rihanna because I won my case against the @washingtonpost — and they owe me a year’s worth of back pay.”
In August, an arbitrator determined that the Post “did not have good and sufficient cause” to fire Attiah and that the newspaper had violated her labor agreement. Attiah expressed that she is happy to be vindicated and ordered reinstated with back pay. She told Fox News Digital, “I wanted to be as loud about the win as possible so that other journalists will not be afraid to speak the truth.”
Attiah's termination followed her posts on the social media platform Bluesky regarding Kirk. In one post, she wrote, “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.” In another, she stated, “Part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness and absolution for White men who espouse hatred and violence.’”
Critics also accused Attiah of misquoting Kirk, attributing to him a statement about Black women lacking the cognitive ability to be taken seriously. However, reporting indicates Kirk had made comments on his show referencing affirmative action and questioning whether certain individuals had earned their positions without it.
Following the backlash, Attiah revealed she had been fired, with the Post citing her posts as “unacceptable” and “gross misconduct” in a termination letter.
Attiah initiated a legal challenge against The Washington Post last fall, and both parties subsequently entered arbitration. A spokesperson for The Washington Post stated that the paper respects the arbitration process but declined to comment further. It remains unclear if Attiah will formally return to work.
