A private arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to rehire opinion columnist Karen Attiah and provide her with back pay. The decision followed her termination over social media posts about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Sarah Miller Espinosa, the arbitrator, stated in a written decision that The Post “did not have good and sufficient cause” to terminate Attiah and “violated” its labor agreement. She added that “The Washington Post failed to establish the grievant engaged in gross misconduct.”
According to The New York Times, Attiah said she hoped the decision “sends a message to journalists and media institutions everywhere that freedom of expression is always worth fighting for.” She stated she was “willing to go back” to her work at The Post, which she called “one of the world’s most storied newspapers.”
Arbitrator finds the newspaper lacked sufficient cause for the dismissal
Attiah was fired in September after posts she made on Bluesky the day Kirk was shot. 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.”
The Washington Post said in its termination letter that Attiah’s posts about Kirk had harmed “the integrity” of the organization. The company stated the posts violated standards requiring employees to use social media with civility and respect.
Attiah maintained that the posts fell within her role as an opinion columnist. She said she was “commenting on our discourse on political violence.” In a statement, she added, “This decision confirms what we’ve said from the start: I was doing my job as an opinion writer, and this was wrongful termination.”
A spokeswoman for The Post said the company respects the arbitration process and declined to comment further. The labor agreement contains a clause that allows employees to submit disputes for arbitration. Arbitration is generally considered binding, though both the company and the employee retain their legal rights.
Lawyers for The Washington Post and Attiah presented arguments before Espinosa in June. The hearing included testimony from Attiah, Adam O’Neal, who was then the opinion editor at The Washington Post, and Wayne Connell, the company’s chief human resources officer. Attiah was represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild and Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit co-founded by lawyer Norman Eisen.
O’Neal testified that he saw Attiah’s posts the morning after Kirk died and sent them to Connell. According to a transcript of the hearing, O’Neal wrote, “Karen’s social media feed yesterday and today is beyond the pale, completely unacceptable for someone associated with Opinions.” O’Neal and Connell then met with Will Lewis, who was then the chief executive of The Washington Post, and they decided to fire Attiah.
Eisen called the decision “a landmark victory for one of our nation’s crusading journalists.” Cases involving government demands for reporter sources have raised similar questions about journalistic independence.
The Post’s opinion section has been in flux since early last year, when owner Jeff Bezos moved to reorient it toward “personal liberties and free markets.” Some readers canceled their subscriptions and accused Bezos of attempting to curry favor with the Trump administration. Recent polling has also examined voter views on democratic socialist candidates.
Published: Aug 25, 2026 10:45 am