Columnist Karen Attiah said she was fired by The Washington Post last week, reportedly, after she shared her thoughts on social media about gun control and racial topics, following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
She said her work was to use her voice to stand up for freedom and democracy, challenge power, and reflect culture and politics with truth and strong belief. She expressed that she felt silenced for doing her job. She wrote on Substack on Monday:
"Last week, the Washington Post fired me. The reason? Speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America’s apathy toward guns... As a columnist, I used my voice to defend freedom and democracy, challenge power, and reflect on culture and politics with honesty and conviction. Now, I am the one being silenced - for doing my job."
On the social site Bluesky, Attiah criticized what she described as America's troubling tolerance for gun violence, remarking on a trend where gun deaths seem to go unnoticed. She also commented on Charlie Kirk and shared some screenshots. She wrote:
"I pointed to the familiar pattern of America shrugging off gun deaths and giving compassion for white men who commit and espouse political violence."
Columnist Attiah has hit out at The Post for firing her, calling it "a rushed move made even without a conversation." She said the act was not just "an overreach" but also "a breach of the journalistic standards of fairness and integrity the publication claims to uphold."
According to Attiah, the outlet used her 'measured' posts on Bluesky as signs of 'unacceptable,' 'gross misconduct' and of endangering the physical safety of colleagues," - claims she strongly denies, calling them groundless.
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TOPICS: Karen Attiah