The Daily Whatever Show, Sept 26: Citizen Journalism with Karen Attiah

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The Daily Whatever Show, Sept 26: Citizen Journalism with Karen Attiah

From the Washington Post to The Golden Hour: A Masterclass in Courage

Lawrence Winnerman

Dana DuBois

Karen Attiah

, and 2 others

Sep 26, 2025

110

Transcript

Some days on The Daily Whatever Show feel important.

Today felt historic.

Dana DuBois

and I had the honor—and I do mean honor—of sitting down with

Karen Attiah

, one of the most vital voices in journalism today. She is a truth-teller, a builder, a fighter, and—after the year she’s had—still somehow radiates resilience, clarity, and grace.

We opened by grounding our audience in Karen’s extraordinary path: from her Fulbright in Ghana to Columbia, from the Associated Press to her decade-plus at the Washington Post, where she founded the Global Opinions desk and championed voices like the late Jamal Khashoggi. Her leadership in the wake of Khashoggi’s assassination earned her Journalist of the Year from the NABJ and the George Polk Award. That résumé alone is enough to humble anyone. But that was just the prelude.

Karen joined us in the middle of what can only be called a storm. In just the past year, she’s endured Columbia canceling her course on race and media, the Washington Post firing her under circumstances that smell of retaliation, and then the national media largely looking away—while eagerly covering Jimmy Kimmel’s firing and rehiring. We all named it plainly: race and patriarchy are baked into whose stories get told and whose voices get amplified. Sitting with her, hearing her frame it in her own words, Dana and I both felt the weight of what’s at stake.

What struck us most was how Karen refuses to retreat. Instead, she’s building new institutions—on her own terms. Her Substack, The Golden Hour, isn’t just a newsletter; it’s a declaration that she will not be silenced. She spoke about what that name means: light and beauty, yes, but also urgency—the medical “golden hour” when quick action can save a life. That’s how she sees America right now: in a precarious window, with truth itself on the line.

She’s also teaching. Her Resistance Studies series, born from the ashes of her Columbia course, is already connecting students across generations, geographies, and disciplines. From teenagers to septuagenarians, from artists to government officials, people are showing up to learn, to connect, to resist. Karen has built not just a class, but a community—and she does it with joy, humor, and a deep belief in what’s possible.

And then there’s the art. We talked about her now-iconic photo in that brilliant blue dress, holding the burning Washington Post like a torch. It’s an image that stops you cold. Some on the right called it reckless; we saw it as a tarot card for a warrior goddess of truth. Karen explained that it was as much about art as it was about journalism—about speaking symbolically when words fail, about turning pain into power.

Karen Attiah, warrior goddess of truth. Image used with Karen’s permission, from her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenattiah

Here’s what I’ll remember most: Karen embodies the very thing she calls us to do. She doesn’t just write about resistance; she lives it. She doesn’t just critique power; she builds alternatives. And she does it all with a sword in one hand (literally—she declared this her “Sword Girl Summer”) and a pen in the other.

We are in awe. And deeply grateful.

If you’re not already subscribed to Karen’s Golden Hour, fix that immediately. If you’re looking for hope, clarity, and fierce truth-telling in dark times, she’s the voice we need. Today, Dana and I didn’t just host a show. We bore witness to someone who’s reshaping what journalism—and courage—can look like.

The Daily Whatever Show, Sept 26: Citizen Journalism with Karen Attiah

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