Attiah settles with Post, declines return
The opinion writer chose not to resume her position after winning an arbitration that ordered the newspaper to reinstate her.
By Daniela Ortega ·
Karen Attiah announced on Sunday that she has reached a settlement with The Washington Post and will not return to her role as an opinion writer. The decision follows an arbitration ruling in August that ordered the newspaper to reinstate her and award full back pay and lost benefits.
Attiah wrote on her Substack, The Golden Hour by Karen Attiah, that she reached the conclusion after careful consideration. She stated that returning to the newspaper meant coming back without the guaranteed freedom and institutional support necessary to use her voice, seek truth, and serve readers. Although she remains proud of the victory, she described the realization as painful.
A Washington Post spokesperson declined to comment on the decision on Monday. Attiah did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time of her firing, she was the only Black full-time member of the Post’s opinion desk.
The dispute originated after the Sept. 10, 2025, killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Attiah made several social media posts in the aftermath. One post noted that the rush to coddle violent white men is self-protective because they are not used to feeling vulnerable and mortal. She warned that they would react violently out of fear and that everyone would suffer.
The Post fired Attiah via email, accusing her of gross misconduct. The email stated that her public comments regarding Kirk’s death violated the newspaper’s social media policies. The company claimed the comments harmed the organization's integrity and potentially endangered the physical safety of its staff.
An arbitrator ruled in August that the newspaper lacked sufficient cause to fire Attiah. The Washington-Baltimore News Guild and the Democracy Defenders Fund represented her in the case. A spokeswoman for the News Guild said the organization is proud to have won the arbitration. She added that the guild is glad Attiah was able to make her own choice about returning to the Post.
Kirk, 31, launched Turning Point USA in 2012. He was a white ally of President Donald Trump who used his podcast to espouse rhetoric that critics labeled racist and divisive. He was critical of the Black Lives Matter movement and called George Floyd a scumbag. His death elicited numerous comments from Trump and others regarding the remarks made about him.
