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Staffers Accuse The Washington Post Of Fostering A Sexist Work Culture

   DailyWire.com
WaPo
Oliver Contreras/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

After The Washington Post suspended reporter Felicia Sonmez allegedly for publicly sharing the names of those criticizing her decision to remind people mourning Kobe Bryant’s tragic death that the basketball star had been accused of rape, staffers at The Washington Post have accused the news publication of fostering a sexist work culture.

According to HuffPost, Sonmez fell subject to severe online harassment, including death threats. One person even discovered her home address and posted it online. Throughout this episode, WaPo allegedly did nothing to protect her.

“Instead of rushing to protect her from abuse or worse, her editors suspended her and suggested she go to a hotel for her safety,” reports HuffPost. “The situation was different for national security reporter Shane Harris last spring. Harris also was getting harassed online, although not at the same level of intensity as his colleague. Someone discovered his home address. He told his editors.”

WaPo staffers told HuffPost on the condition of anonymity that this kind of allegedly sexist behavior is routine at the media publication and is part of the work culture.

“The Washington Post doesn’t value women and men in the same way, these people said,” continued HuffPost. “This appears literally true when it comes to pay: Women in the newsroom are paid less than men, according to a report published last year by the union that represents employees. (The paper disputed the findings at the time.) One former Post contractor told HuffPost she was let go after asking for a raise.”

Despite WaPo’s notoriously woke and progressive activism, the publication is largely male-dominated, with only four of 17 department heads being women.

“The place is run by men and it creates a particular atmosphere and assigns a higher value to certain male characteristics,” said one female reporter. “I’ve been a victim of it in a broad way, as most women in the newsroom have.”

“It seems that there’s a blind spot when it comes to the needs of female employees. So when this incident with Felicia happened, it turned up all these other concerns and worries and long-standing issues,” said another anonymous employee.

Kristine Coratti Kelly, a spokeswoman for the newspaper, disputed this narrative, arguing that the publication has always fostered a culture of fairness.

“We dispute your narrative,” wrote Kelly. “The Washington Post has been equitable in its hiring, promotion and compensation for employees, in its security deployment on behalf of employees and in the high standards it applies to all stories.”

When it comes to equal pay, women in the newsroom earn less than men at The Washington Post, according to a union’s report.

“The salaried men in the newsroom earn a median of $116,065 a year,” reports HuffPost. “The median for women is $95,595. The gap is widest for staffers under 40: Young men earn $95,890 compared to $84,030 for women. The report used age as a proxy for experience, which it did not expressly track.”

Alleged #MeToo stories also have a higher editorial threshold at The Washington Post, such as when Irin Carmon, a former freelancer for the Post, tried and failed to publish a story about sexual misconduct allegations against “60 Minutes” producer Jeff Fager. Though WaPo turned the story down, Ronan Farrow at the New Yorker covered it, forcing Fager out of his job.

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