WaPo reinstates reporter who it suspended over Kobe Bryant tweets, saying she didn't violate policy

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/28/media/washington-post-felicia-sonmez-kobe-bryant/index.html

By Oliver Darcy, CNN Business

Updated 6:31 PM ET, Tue January 28, 2020

New York (CNN Business)A top editor at The Washington Post said Tuesday that a reporter who was suspended for tweets she posted in the immediate aftermath of Kobe Bryant's death had not violated the newspaper's social media policy. The reporter has been reinstated.

The reporter, Felicia Sonmez, faced a fierce backlash online after she tweeted a 2016 Daily Beast story — just hours following news of the basketball legend's tragic helicopter crash— that detailed a sexual assault allegation made against him.

Bryant was accused in 2003 of sexual assault, but the criminal charge was later dropped. Although Bryant stopped short of admitting guilt, he did acknowledge that while he viewed the encounter as consensual, his accuser did not. Bryant later settled a civil suit with his accuser for an undisclosed amount of money.

The Post said on Monday that Sonmez had been placed on administrative leave while it reviewed whether her tweets violated the newspaper's policies — an action that was widely criticized by journalists, including The Post's media critic Erik Wemple.

</snip>

Good. It was a very ill-timed tweet, but she shouldn't have been sanctioned over it.

[femmedem]

1. Good. The backlash against her suspension was well-deserved.

But I doubt the reporter will ever feel quite the same about WaPo or forget that betrayal.

[Jarqui]

2. I remembered the allegation back in 2003 or whenever

but I didn't know the details of the outcome.

Because of this reporter's tweet, I read a well done 2016 article about it on Daily Beast and some other sources.

As a result, I do not fault the reporter.

[uponit7771]

3. Her false equivalency stanks, Bryant was different in post accusation action ... she knows that.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. What was the false equivalency?

[uponit7771]

7. "...Bryant was different in post accusation action..."

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. I don't see how that's wrong or is a false equivalence.

[uponit7771]

9. Kobe's legal team dealt with the evidence, Kobe faced the accusation. MeToo# isn't believe people...

... beyond what the facts say, that would make the accuser judge, jury etc.

Again, the reporter knows this or should have and not proffered a false equivalency of Kobe's situation and other assholes who've been credibly accused of rape and told the rapist to screw off by posting just the accusation itself.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. All she did was post a link to an article about the incident, accusation and aftermath.

So I'm not seeing what the false equivalency is.

[uponit7771]

11. The article mentioned nothing of what I posted about how Bryant handled the case relative to

... other people credibly accused post #MeToo; that's a false equivalence at best.

"Kobe Bryant's Disturbing Rape Case" intimates Bryant did the opposite of what I posted at best seeing it wasn't disturbing because of him looking at the facts.

[USALiberal]

12. Nice try! nt

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. They owe her an apology.