Washington Post reporter briefly suspended over tweet about Kobe Bryant’s rape case after his death

On Jan. 26, 2020, hours after a helicopter carrying NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others crashed into a hillside in Southern California, killing all on board, Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez tweeted out an article about 2003 rape allegations against Bryant. Subsequent tweets and widespread backlash compelled The Post to place Sonmez on administrative leave, on grounds that she violated the newsroom’s social media policy. 

Key Players

Felicia Sonmez is a national reporter on The Washington Post’s breaking political news team. Her Jan. 26 tweet directed readers to a 2016 Daily Beast article titled “Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession.” 

Further Details

Sonmez, after her initial tweet, became the target of vehement online outrage, including death threats from other Twitter users. In a since-deleted follow-up tweet, Sonmez wrote, “To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story — which was written (more than three) years ago, and not by me.” The tweet was accompanied by a screenshot of her threat-filled inbox with names of her critics included. 

During an interview with fellow Post reporter Erik Wemple, Sonmez said she also sent screenshots of her email inbox to her editors, who asked her to take down the tweets. When Sonmez delayed doing so, Managing Editor Tracy Grant told her to delete them or she would be “in violation of a directive from a managing editor,” Wemple reported on his blog. 

At this point, Sonmez deleted the tweets. But, soon after, she received a call from Grant, who informed her that she would be placed on administrative leave, effective immediately. The Post invoked its Policies and Standards for staff as the primary reason for Sonmez’s suspension. According to a report by independent journalist Matthew Keys, Post management was principally concerned with the potential legal repercussions following Sonmez’s revealing the names of those who sent her threatening emails. 

Outcome

Sonmez reinstated, Post decision-makers admonished

On Jan. 27, the Washington Post unit of the Newspaper Guild, a union for journalists, issued a statement in support of Sonmez’s actions. The statement chastised the paper’s newsroom leaders for their “arbitrary and over-broad social media policy” and for not providing security and support for Sonmez. 

On Jan. 28, Sonmez was reinstated as a political reporter at The Post. In a statement, Grant said:

“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. Reporters on social media represent The Washington Post, and our policy states ‘we must be ever mindful of preserving the reputation of The Washington Post for journalistic excellence, fairness and independence.’” Sonmez tweeted a response to her experience the night her suspension was lifted, in which she wrote that she hoped the newspaper would not only protect its employees, but also “ensure that no journalist will be punished for speaking the truth.”