The Washington Post was ordered to rehire an opinion columnist who was fired in September over her social media post concerning the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. 

In a post on the Bluesky platform, Karen Attiah responded to the outpouring of grief over Kirk's assassination, saying that "Refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is … not the same as violence." 

In its termination letter, the Post said that Attiah had harmed "the integrity" of the newspaper and violated company policies requiring employees to use social media with civility. 

Sarah Miller Espinosa, a private arbitrator, said in a written decision Thursday that the Post “did not have good and sufficient cause” to terminate Attiah and “violated” its labor agreement, the New York Times reported. 

Espinosa also ordered the Post to compensate Attiah her back pay. 

Attiah said in a statement that she experienced a "wrongful termination," and she hopes the decision “sends a message to journalists and media institutions everywhere that freedom of expression is always worth fighting for.” She also said she's "willing to go back" to work at the Post.