Why Was Karen Attiah Fired? Former 'WaPo' Columnist Cites "Gross Misconduct"

In the wake of the political killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, the internet has been in an uproar. All across social media, people are arguing over how to react to Kirk's death.

Some people are saying they believe he deserved it, or at least invited it, while others are vehemently defending Kirk's legacy and calling for repercussions for those who don't recognize his value.

Amongst the social media battles, real people are finding their real lives affected by the clash, including former Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah. The respected writer was fired from her job at the Post — here's why.

According to Karen, the Washington Post claimed that she was guilty of "gross misconduct." In a post made to Instagram, she explained: "I have been fired from the Washington Post.

"My offense? Calling out America’s acceptance of hatred and political violence, gun deaths, especially when the violence is carried out by white men."

It's for this, she added, "The Washington Post accused me of 'gross misconduct,' putting its staff in danger, and fired me without a conversation or review."

Karen continued, "I wholeheartedly reject these charges. I’m proud of the work I have done to champion free speech, democracy, and to support writers around the world who risked their lives just to express themselves."

In a Substack post, Karen elaborated, "My only direct reference to Kirk was one post — his own words on record." The quote in question from Kirk suggested that Black women “do not have brain processing power to be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot," (via Snopes).

The Washington Post has stayed silent on the subject, but her bio has been updated to read that she "was" a columnist.

This isn't the first time Karen has come up against an institution or company for her beliefs on speaking out about race relations, especially as it pertains to media coverage.

Karen was originally going to teach a class at Columbia University that focused on media and race, but she claims the university caved to pressure and canceled the class.

In an Instagram post, Karen explained, "I believe that learning about the intersection of race, journalism, and international affairs will help us all understand the current moment we are in. And I refuse to let media literacy and history be held hostage by the very same institutions that are caving to fear and authoritarianism."

She added, "In just 24 hours, nearly 300 people have signed up, indicating not only interest and financial support, but willing to support scholarships and mutual aid."

Karen then indicated she would be teaching the class anyway in a public offering during Summer 2025, independent from the university.

While the two issues are separate on the surface, the tamping down of dissenting voices on issues such as race and even Kirk's death is a concerning trend that seems to be falling most heavily on voices of diversity, such as Karen's.