Karen Attiah, an opinion columnist at The Washington Post, has been dismissed following a series of controversial social media posts made after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Attiah confirmed her termination in a Substack essay, while the newspaper cited “unacceptable social media posts” as the cause for her dismissal.
The posts in question, made on the Bluesky platform, addressed themes of race, violence, and public mourning. In one message, Attiah critiqued what she called performative mourning for certain public figures. The Washington Post characterized her comments as a breach of its professional standards, claiming they constituted “gross misconduct” and posed a risk to colleagues’ safety.
In her response, Attiah defended her actions, stating she had not been given an opportunity to explain herself before being fired. She argued that her remarks were intended to critique broader social issues, including political violence, racial bias, and gun culture in the U.S. She described the decision to terminate her as both hasty and inconsistent with journalistic principles.
The controversy unfolded in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death, a prominent conservative figure who was shot during a public event in Utah. A suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been arrested and charged in connection with the crime, which remains under investigation.