The Guardian reports:

An independent arbitrator has ordered the Washington Post to rehire the high-profile opinion columnist Karen Attiah, abruptly fired by the news organization last September over comments she made on social media about Charlie Kirk, the then recently slain conservative activist.

On Monday, an arbitrator ruled that the Post had violated her rights as a union-protected employee and ordered the newspaper to reinstate her and compensate her for lost wages.

“This decision confirms what we’ve said from the start: I was doing my job as an opinion journalist, and doing that job is not misconduct,” Attiah said in a statement. “After spending over a decade of my career at the Post as an editor and an opinion columnist focusing on race, gender and global human rights, I’m relieved to finally have that record set straight … I hope that this win sends a message to journalists and media institutions everywhere that freedom of expression is always worth fighting for.”

A Post spokesperson said the company respects the arbitration process but declined to comment further. It’s unclear if the company plans to appeal the reinstatement ruling.

Attiah was backed by the union that represents most Post employees, the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, and Democracy Defenders Action, a legacy advocacy group co-founded by Norm Eisen. In his own statement, Eisen called it a “thunderous win” for Attiah and “a landmark decision for every journalist who refuses to be silenced”. [Continue reading…]