Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, who got kicked out of Jeff Bezos‘s owned newspaper, is revealing secrets of her ex-boss now. She warns people that the billionaire is leading the US swiftly into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
She spoke to The Daily Beast about Trump’s authoritarian plans, which are being implemented by the tech billionaire Bezos. Moreover, according to her, many journalists are getting fired under state sanctions.
Trump will not hesitate to use the military to subdue leftists, Democrats and protesters. Furthermore, calling this a training ground for the military. The 39-year-old columnist mentioned how the two powerful men are coming together to have more dominance over newsrooms and platforms.
She said, “We’re regressing—back to a wealthy class shaping reality to fit what they want. Instead, a handful of people and companies control what we see. That’s fundamentally anti-democratic.
The @washingtonpost fired one of their most brilliant journalists, Karen Attiah, for posting a white supremacist anti-Black QUOTE by an anti-Black white supremacist. Simply reporting Charlie Kirk’s own words got a reporter fired. This is life right now in the land of the free. https://t.co/57NQwexkVv
— Uju Anya (@UjuAnya) September 15, 2025
She further continues to say, “It’s hard to separate Bezos from Musk, from CBS/TikTok. Globally, look at Jared Kushner’s firm with the Saudis buying into Electronic Arts. It’s using money and power to shape how people see the world—and they’re more naked about it.” All these people combined together are to become a bigger power and their dream isn’t democracy, but to control the narrative.
Press freedom in the US has stumbled, and journalists have become targets. Attiah warned that citizens are ignoring this subtle move towards fascism. She stated, “We’re already living in an authoritarian culture. There’s shock, paralysis, fear.”
She was fired because of social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s shooting. So now the newspaper does not have any full-time black writers’ opinions. Coming to journalists of color, she said that it’s not just about the job but they can be killed and harassed. So their lives are at stake.
She emphasized, “I keep telling people: keep your imagination open for how bad it can get. People used to say, ‘They’re not going after citizens.’ Now they are. The ‘leftist threat’ framing and rhetoric keep escalating. The natural conclusion of dealing with your ‘enemies’ is to eliminate them.”
She mentions she saw this happen in the past when American-based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was killed in Turkey. The columnist warns against the things that seemed farfetched for the US are happening now.
She mentions Bezos used to stand up for free expression, but now he has asked the writers not to focus on politics but on free markets and personal liberties. CEO Will Lewis even asked people who don’t feel aligned with the Washington post to leave.
Attiah is now running her own class over Zoom and hasn’t quit journalism. She adds she may not know whether Bezos and the Trump administration have something going on, but she will update on her Substack.
