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Felicia Sonmez

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Felicia Sonmez is an American journalist. She began her career as a foreign correspondent in Beijing. In 2010, she joined The Washington Post as a political reporter. She is known for her social media activity, for which she was fired from the Post in June 2022.

Early life

Sonmez received a B.A. in Government from Harvard University in 2005.[1]

Career

Sonmez was teaching English in Beijing when she began writing for Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.[2] She later was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for Agence France-Presse and an editor for The Wall Street Journal.[1][3] She joined The Washington Post as a political reporter in 2010.[1]

While a national political reporter for the Post in January 2020, Sonmez was placed on administrative leave after tweeting about the sexual assault charge against Kobe Bryant shortly after his death. The Post ultimately decided she did not violate its social media policy.[4][5][6]

Sonmez again drew attention in July 2021 for suing The Washington Post, alleging that the paper had discriminated against her by blocking her from covering sexual assault after she came forward as a survivor.[7][8] The suit was dismissed.[9]

Sonmez was fired in June 2022 following conflict with colleagues on Twitter over workplace sexual harassment issues.[10][11] The matter began when fellow Post reporter Dave Weigel retweeted a sexist joke,[12] which Sonmez criticized in a tweet of her own. Weigel subsequently apologized and was suspended for a month.[10][13] Post reporter Jose Del Real criticized Sonmez on Twitter for "rallying the internet to attack" Weigel. Weigel's post, and the ensuing conflict between the two and other Post colleagues lasted several days until Sonmez was fired.[10] Her termination spurred debate over social media policies for reporters, after the termination letter accused her of "insubordination, maligning your coworkers online and violating the Post's standards on workplace collegiality and inclusivity".[10][14] With the guild's support she sought to get her job back.[15]

Personal life

Sonmez resides in Washington, D.C.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Felicia Sonmez". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  2. ^ Jaffe, Harry (May 23, 2011). "Meet the Young Voices Behind the Washington Post's The Fix". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  3. ^ Chang, Andrea (May 15, 2018). "L.A. Times suspends Beijing bureau chief while it investigates sexual misconduct allegation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2022. Sonmez, a former Wall Street Journal editor
  4. ^ Abrams, Rachel; Tracy, Marc (January 28, 2020). "Washington Post Says Reporter's Kobe Bryant Tweets Did Not Break Rules". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  5. ^ Allsop, Jon (January 29, 2020). "Felicia Sonmez and the tyranny of the social-media policy". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  6. ^ Darcy, Oliver (January 28, 2020). "Washington Post reinstates reporter who it suspended over Kobe Bryant tweets, saying she didn't violate policy". CNN Business. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  7. ^ Robertson, Katie (July 22, 2021). "A Washington Post reporter sues the paper and its top editors, claiming discrimination". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "Reporter Says 'Washington Post' Discriminated Against Her As A Sexual Assault Victim". NPR. Associated Press. July 22, 2021. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  9. ^ Robertson, Katie (March 25, 2022). "D.C. judge dismisses a discrimination case against The Washington Post". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Robertson, Katie (June 9, 2022). "Reporter Felicia Sonmez Is Fired by The Washington Post". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Schwartzman, Paul; Barr, Jeremy (June 9, 2022). "Felicia Sonmez terminated by The Washington Post after Twitter dispute". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  12. ^ Characterizations:
  13. ^ Darcy, Oliver (June 6, 2022). "The Washington Post suspends reporter David Weigel over sexist retweet". CNN Business. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  14. ^ "Washington Post fires reporter Felicia Sonmez amid social media controversy". The Guardian. Associated Press. June 10, 2022. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  15. ^ @feliciasonmez (July 1, 2022). "@PostGuild and I are fighting for my job back" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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