An independent arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate opinion columnist Karen Attiah with back pay and lost benefits after finding that her 2025 termination violated the newspaper's collective bargaining agreement. Attiah was fired over social media posts she made following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which the Post argued violated its social media policy. The arbitrator determined that the newspaper did not have sufficient cause for the termination and that the punishment was disproportionate. The case is particularly relevant to labor relations because it demonstrates how a union contract and arbitration process can protect employees from what they believe was unjust termination.
See "Washington Post ordered to reinstate opinion writer fired over Charlie Kirk posts", Jeremy Barr, The Guardian, August 26, 2026