USA: Washington Post Reinstates Felicia Sonmez — A Welcome Decision

Location: United States, Washington D.C.
Date: January 29, 2020

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the Washington Post’s decision to reinstate their national politics reporter Felicia Sonmez. She was sent on administrative leave on January 27. The publication’s earlier decision received criticism within the industry, which eventually led them to reinstate Felicia.

In a statement released on Tuesday January 28, Tracy Grant, the managing editor of The Post  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.”

“We regret having spoken publicly about a personnel matter,” she added.

It is a good step on the publication’s part, especially during a time when Felicia was being harassed online for sharing an article on Twitter.

Felicia, too, issued her statement on Twitter where she urged the newsroom leaders at The Post to “prioritize their employees’ safety in the face of threats of physical harm but also ensure that no journalist will be punished for speaking the truth.”

“Every worker should be so fortunate to have as strong an advocate as @PostGuild,” she tweeted and thanked the Guild leaders and her newsroom colleagues for support.

I believe that Washington Post readers and employees, including myself, deserve to hear directly from @PostBaron on the newspaper’s handling of this matter. My statement on The Post’s decision tonight: pic.twitter.com/t5ULzUQhYT

— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) January 29, 2020

It is not easy being a woman journalist knowing that there will always be one challenge or another to deal with whether inside the newsrooms, on the ground or online. Support from the community, particularly employers, helps one continue to tell the truth despite receiving threats and abuse from harassers. We are glad that the Washington Post realized their error in judgement soon enough.

The publication was reviewing if her tweets were violating their newsroom’s social media policy, while she was sent on administrative leave. Felicia, on the other hand, was subjected to online harassment for her tweet about Kobe Bryant.

“Well, THAT was eye-opening. 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,” she tweeted, sharing about the hate she received after posting the tweet. Felicia also shared a screenshot of an email that used foul language towards her, in order to keep her editors alert about the threats.

Her address was shared online. She was being sent rape and death threats. After that, she checked into a hotel and the Post covered the cost of her stay.

Nevertheless, we are glad that our colleague has been reinstated. This gives us hope that the industry stands united against online harassers and trolls. It will give journalists, especially women journalists, the confidence to pursue truth given they are supported by their industry and colleagues.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.