Key facts
- The Washington Post has been ordered by an arbitrator to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah.
- The arbitrator found the newspaper lacked sufficient cause to terminate Attiah's employment.
- Attiah is to receive full back pay and compensation for lost benefits.
- The termination stemmed from social media posts Attiah made following the death of Charlie Kirk.
- The ruling stated the penalty of termination was disproportionate and violated the collective bargaining agreement.
An independent arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate opinion columnist Karen Attiah, ruling that the newspaper lacked sufficient cause for her termination. Attiah was fired in September over social media comments she made following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Arbitrator Sarah Miller Espinosa concluded that the Post violated its labor agreement and that the penalty of termination was "absolutely disproportional." The newspaper had argued that Attiah's posts violated its social media policy, which dictates that employees "must not harm the editorial integrity or journalistic reputation of The Post." Attiah, who had been with the Post for 11 years without prior discipline, stated she was "doing my job as an opinion journalist" and that the decision "sends a message to journalists and media institutions everywhere that freedom of expression is always worth fighting for."
The arbitrator also found it improper to punish Attiah based on potential security threats to other Post employees, stating that holding her accountable for the actions of "bad actors" was unsupportable. The Post's opinion editor, Adam O’Neal, had alerted human relations to the posts, leading to a meeting with top brass, including then-publisher Will Lewis, who decided on termination.
Attiah was supported by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild and Democracy Defenders Fund. A Post spokesperson stated the company respects the arbitration process but declined further comment, and it remains unclear if the company plans to appeal.