Washington Post criticized for suspending reporter over Kobe Bryant tweets

The reporter, Felicia Sonmez, confronted a fierce backlash on-line after she tweeted a 2016 Every day Beast story — simply hours following information of the basketball legend’s tragic helicopter crash— that detailed a sexual assault allegation made in opposition to him.

Bryant was accused in 2003 of sexual assault, however the prison cost was later dropped. Though Bryant stopped wanting admitting guilt, he did acknowledge that whereas he considered the encounter as consensual, his accuser didn’t. Bryant later settled a civil go well with along with his accuser for an undisclosed amount of cash.

After Sonmez’s preliminary tweet concerning the allegation in opposition to Bryant drew controversy, she defended it, writing that “any public determine is price remembering of their totality,” in accordance with screenshots included in an opinion piece for The Publish by the paper’s media critic —Erik Wemple. Sonmez later tweeted that she was receiving dying threats, in accordance with Wemple’s piece, posting a display shot of her inbox that displayed the messages she was receiving, along with the senders.

All of the tweets had been later deleted.

The New York Instances reported Monday that earlier than she was suspended, Sonmez obtained an e-mail from Marty Baron — The Publish’s government editor. In keeping with the Instances, a part of the e-mail learn “An actual lack of judgment to tweet this. Please cease. You are hurting this establishment by doing this.”

Tracy Grant, The Publish’s managing editor, mentioned in an announcement on Monday that the tweets “displayed poor judgement that undermined the work of her colleagues.”

“Nationwide political reporter Felicia Sonmez was positioned on administrative depart whereas The Publish evaluations whether or not tweets concerning the dying of Kobe Bryant violated The Publish newsroom’s social media coverage,” Grant mentioned.

The suspension of Sonmez, nevertheless, generated its personal controversy.

Notably, in his piece for The Publish, Wemple known as the suspension “misguided.”

Sonmez did not reply to a request for remark Monday from CNN Enterprise, however Wemple interviewed her for his piece. Sonmez instructed Wemple she stayed in a lodge room Sunday night time for worry of her security. She added that she had solely eliminated her tweets as a result of she had been instructed by Grant to take action.

In keeping with Wemple, Grant mentioned in an e-mail to her that the paper’s concern with Sonmez’s tweet was that it did not “pertain” to her “protection space.” Grant, in accordance with Wemple, added that her “conduct on social media” was “making it tougher for others to do their work as Washington Publish journalists.”

However, as Wemple famous, “If journalists at The Publish are susceptible to suspension for tweeting tales off their beats, the whole newsroom needs to be on administrative depart.”

Different journalists additionally strongly criticized The Publish’s choice.

“Information organizations ought to shield their journalists, not acquiesce to the mob when it comes for them. The Washington Publish not solely failed Felicia Sonmez, however set a harmful precedent,” tweeted Olivia Nuzzi, the Washington correspondent for New York journal.

“This can be a horrifying solution to deal with your journalists,” tweeted Anushka Patil, a social technique editor at The New York Instances.

“Unconscionable,” tweeted Jake Offenhartz, a reporter for The Gothamist. “Undecided how the Publish might’ve dealt with this worse.”

Sonmez was one in all two individuals who accused Jonathan Kaiman, the previous Beijing bureau chief for The Los Angeles Instances, of sexual misconduct in 2018. Following an investigation, Kaiman finally resigned, in accordance with the New York Instances — although he defended his actions and mentioned the actions had been “mutually consensual.”

In an announcement launched on Monday, The Publish Guild, which represents staff on the newspaper, mentioned, “This isn’t the primary time that The Publish has sought to regulate how Felicia speaks on issues of sexual violence.”

“Felicia herself is a survivor of assault who bravely got here ahead together with her story two years in the past. When articles attacking her had been revealed in different retailers, The Publish didn’t launch an announcement in help of one in all its revered political reporters,” The Publish Guild famous. “As an alternative, administration issued a warning letter in opposition to Felicia for violating The Publish’s obscure and inconsistently enforced social media tips.”

The Publish Guild skewered The Publish, saying the newspaper had “failed to supply a transparent rationalization of why she was positioned on depart.”

“We’re involved by The Publish’s unwillingness to be clear about this problem, and alarmed by the implication that reporters might be penalized for speaking about any matter not on their beat,” The Publish Guild mentioned.

A spokesperson for The Publish didn’t present touch upon The Guild’s assertion.

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