Who is Karen Attiah? WaPo columnist claims she was fired over 'unacceptable' Charlie Kirk post
Karen Attiah, a longtime columnist at The Washington Post, was reportedly dismissed over an "unacceptable" post about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Journalist Karen Attiah has claimed that The Washington Post fired her last week for “misconduct” over her Bluesky posts following Charlie Kirk’s assassination in Utah.
In her Substack, she explained that the outlet described her posts as “unacceptable” and accused her of endangering colleagues’ safety. However, she rejected the allegations and called the decision “rushed” and unfair.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post has not issued a public comment on her dismissal, the Independent reported.
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What Karen Attiah said
In her Substack post, Attiah wrote that she used her platform to reflect on America’s recurring cycles of gun violence and political assassinations. She said she mentioned Kirk directly only once, by quoting his past remarks about prominent Black women.
Attiah said her posts were focused on broader patterns of how political violence is covered in the United States. She insisted her commentary was based on data and not disparaging.
She also noted that her observation about white male violence proved to be true after Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old white male, was arrested for Kirk’s killing.
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Who is Karen Attiah?
Attiah joined The Washington Post in 2014, the Independent reported. She later became the founding editor of its Global Opinions section.
She also gained international recognition for her work with Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in 2018. During this time, she worked closely with Khashoggi until his death and has since spoken publicly about seeking justice in his case.
She is also the recipient of the George Polk Award and Journalist of the Year from the National Association of Black Journalists in 2019.
In her statement, Attiah said she was the last full-time Black opinion columnist at the Post and framed her firing as part of a broader trend of reducing diverse voices in US media.
Her termination comes shortly after MSNBC cut ties with analyst Matthew Dowd, who described Kirk as divisive in on-air remarks. Several companies and institutions have also disciplined employees for posts seen as celebrating Kirk’s death.
Attiah’s departure has also drawn attention to reported internal shifts at the Post’s opinion section, where she clashed with new leadership earlier this year.
FAQs:
Who is Karen Attiah?
Karen Attiah is a journalist who joined The Washington Post in 2014 and later became the founding editor of its Global Opinions section.
Why was Karen Attiah fired?
She says she was dismissed after the Post labeled her social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s killing “unacceptable” and “gross misconduct.”
What did she post about Charlie Kirk?
Attiah says she focused mainly on patterns of political violence in the U.S. and quoted Kirk once, citing his past comments about Black women.
What recognition has Attiah received?
She won the 2019 George Polk Award and was named Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists in the same year.
