After winning reinstatement, Washington Post columnist fired over Charlie Kirk posts declines to rejoin paper

Attiah declines to return

Attiah, a longtime opinion writer, said she would not resume her role at The Washington Post after winning a challenge to her dismissal. The paper had been ordered to reinstate her following an arbitrator’s ruling.

In a statement, Attiah said she remained proud of the victory but concluded she could not return without assured freedom and institutional backing for her work. She described her aims as using her voice, seeking truth and serving readers.

Arbitrator ordered reinstatement

The arbitrator ruled in August that the newspaper did not have sufficient grounds to fire Attiah. The decision also required the Post to provide her full back pay and lost benefits.

The Democracy Defenders Fund and the Washington-Baltimore News Guild represented Attiah. Neither organization immediately commented on her decision not to return; when the ruling was issued, they called it a landmark for press freedom.

Posts followed Kirk’s killing

Charlie Kirk, 31, was a conservative activist and ally of President Donald Trump. He was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, at an event at Utah Valley University.

Soon after his death, Attiah posted several comments on social media. In one, she wrote that the rush to protect violent white men was self-protective and warned that people would suffer.

Dismissals raised speech concerns

The Post dismissed Attiah by email, accusing her of “gross misconduct.” She was among dozens of people in different professions who lost jobs over remarks about Kirk’s killing. The dismissals raised questions about free speech as Trump vowed retribution for comments he viewed as disparaging.