Washington Post ordered to reinstate columnist after firing dispute

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 01:44 · Archive

An arbitrator ordered The Washington Post to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah and pay her a year's back pay.

An arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah and award her a year's back pay. The arbitrator found the paper 'did not have good and sufficient cause' for her firing and 'violated' her labour agreement.

Attiah was dismissed last year following posts she made about conservative figure Charlie Kirk on the social media platform Bluesky. Her firing sparked debate among journalists and the Washington Post union.

Attiah celebrated the arbitration decision on social media, posting a video of herself dancing to Rihanna music with the caption 'POV: Channeling my inner Rihanna because I won my case against the @washingtonpost — and they owe me a year's worth of back pay.' Speaking to Fox News, she said: 'I'm still processing everything, but overall, I am happy I have been vindicated and ordered reinstated with back pay.' She added that she wanted to be public about the win 'so that other journalists will not be afraid to speak the truth'.

It remains unclear whether Attiah will formally return to work despite the arbitrator's order. A Washington Post spokesperson said the paper respects the arbitration process but declined to comment further.

How it is being reported

• Washington Post columnist reinstated after being canned for Charlie Kirk posts brags her victoryAn arbitrator ordered The Washington Post to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah and grant her a year of back pay following her firing.New York Post · 21 Oct, 01:27
• Washington Post columnist reinstated after being fired over Charlie Kirk posts gloats about receiving back payKaren Attiah celebrated her arbitration win against The Washington Post, sharing a Rihanna dance video after being awarded a year's worth of back pay.Fox News · 20 Oct, 22:29

In this story: Karen Attiah · The Washington Post · Charlie Kirk · Bluesky

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem