Multiple people lose their jobs after a controversial post about Charlie Kirk
Public figures, academics and everyday business owners face the consequences of comments that include celebrations and other controversial ideas.
Washington Post columnist Karen Attia said on Monday, September 15th, he was let go of his employer over a series of social media posts that followed the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In a Substack post, Attiah said he was “silenced” following the September 10th post that focused on gun control and race following Kirk’s assassination.
“As a columnist, I used my voice to defend freedom and democracy, challenge my strength, and reflected it in culture and politics with integrity and belief,” writes Attia. “Now I am the one who is silent – to do my job.”
According to Attiah, she referenced Kirk in one of her posts about Bluesky.
In that post, the columnist shared a screenshot of the quote. Kirk said several prominent black women, including former Mrs. Michelle Obama, “we didn’t have the brain processing ability to be taken seriously. We had to steal a white slot.”
When contacted by USA Today, a Washington Post spokesperson declined to comment, saying the media outlet “has not commented on personnel issues.”
In a series of posts, the Washington Post Guild denounced Attia’s firing, calling it an illegal fire, and saying they would stand with her.
“The Washington Post mislead opinion columnist Karen Attia over her social media post,” the Guild said.
According to Attiah’s profile on Washington Post, she was in the newspaper for over a decade in 2014.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA Today. Contact him at fernando.cervantes @gannett.com and follow him at x @fern_cerv_.
