Secrets Reporters
The Washington Post has been ordered to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah after an arbitrator ruled that the newspaper did not have sufficient grounds to fire her over social media posts she made following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Attiah had been dismissed after posting comments about Kirk’s killing and the public reaction to his death.
In one of the posts cited in the dispute, she said that refusing to engage in “performative mourning” for a white man who espoused violence was not the same as violence.
Attiah maintained that the posts were part of her work commenting on political violence and the public discourse surrounding Kirk’s assassination.
The Washington Post argued that her comments violated its standards on civility and damaged the integrity of the organisation.
However, an arbitrator ruled in Attiah’s favour, finding that the newspaper “did not have good and sufficient cause” to terminate her employment and had failed to establish gross misconduct.
The ruling ordered the newspaper to reinstate Attiah and provide her with back pay.Reacting to the decision, Attiah described the ruling as a victory for freedom of expression.
