Washington Post ordered to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah
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FILE PHOTO: The logo of The Washington Post is displayed as union members and supporters gather at a 'Save the Post' rally outside The Washington Post after widespread layoffs were announced, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
Aug 24 (Reuters) - A private arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate opinion columnist Karen Attiah with back pay, after the newspaper fired her in September over social media posts about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination.
The ruling, made public by the Democracy Defenders Fund on Monday, comes as the Post's opinion section faces scrutiny following a push by owner Jeff Bezos to focus on personal liberties and free markets.
Here are some more details:
• Private arbitrator Sarah Miller Espinosa found the newspaper "did not have good and sufficient cause" to terminate Attiah and had "violated" its labor agreement. "The Washington Post failed to establish the grievant engaged in gross misconduct," she wrote.
• "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," said Attiah.
• A Washington Post spokesperson said the newspaper respects the arbitration process and declined to comment further.
• The dispute began after Attiah's posts on social media platform Bluesky following Kirk's September 2025 assassination, including one in which she noted Kirk's past comments on Black women.
• The Post had said in its termination letter that Attiah's posts violated its social media policy, which requires employees' online activity to be respectful and not undermine the integrity of the newspaper's journalism.
• In February, The Washington Post began layoffs impacting a third of its employees, across its international, editing, metro and sports desks amid mounting financial losses.
• The New York Times first reported the arbitration decision earlier in the day.
(Reporting by Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
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