United States: CFWIJ stands in solidarity with Felicia Sonmez in her fight to report sexual assaults

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March 27, 2021- Felicia Sonmez, a political reporter working for The Washington Post, was ruthlessly trolled online after tweeting an article written about Kobe Bryant’s disturbing rape case.  Felicia posted the tweets on January 27, 2020, one day after Bryant’s tragic death. Facing online backlash, Felicia was forced to delete the tweets and was briefly suspended from her job.  Felicia recently shared on Twitter how she was disregarded and mistreated for simply doing her job. Referring to Steven Ginsberg, the Post’s National Editor, Felicia said, “I wish the same Post editor who is quoted in this piece supported me when I was doxxed and had to leave my home”. CFWIJ condemns the online crusade against Felicia. We believe journalists should be allowed to report freely, without the fear of unjustified renunciation.

Felicia was suspended from her job after tweeting about the sexual assault allegations against the late basketball player Kobe Bryant. She was subjected to a barrage of hateful messages, including rape and death threats. Felicia had to leave her home and stayed in a hotel after her address was shared online. Amidst the chaos, the reporter was suspended and sent on administrative leave while the news outlet reviewed the matter. There was widespread outcry condemning the Post’s capitulation to social media backlash and its unwarranted suspension of the journalist. Felicia was reinstated a day later. Tracy Grant, the managing editor at The Washington Post, shared in a statement, “After conducting an internal review, we have determined that, while we consider Felicia's tweets ill-timed, she was not in clear and direct violation of our social media policy and that we regret having publicly spoken about the personal matter.” 


The journalist shared in her recent tweets that, “Wish the same Post editor who is quoted in this piece supported me when I was doxxed and had to leave my home. Instead, they were silent, and I was suspended. They continue to prevent me from fully doing my job, by barring me from covering sexual assault”. Felicia regretfully shared how she was not offered the support she deserved from Steven Ginsberg at the time of her abuse and subsequent suspension.

Steven Ginsberg, the national editor for The Washington Post, was recently quoted in a Vanity Fair article. Ginsberg shared his thoughts regarding the online abuse women journalists endure. Steven said that no journalist is above criticism, but what female journalists have described to him goes beyond legitimate scrutiny. That often involves getting into their sex lives, their families, and personal topics entirely unrelated to their work. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism has followed Felicia’s story in detail, and we understand her suffering. We believe that every story of assault and online abuse is important, and should be taken seriously, especially when it is coming from a woman journalist. We demand that publications and newsrooms conduct proper investigations into sensitive matters before discrediting a woman journalist.