Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez has reportedly been suspended from the publication after tweeting about the Kobe Bryant rape case in the wake of his tragic death. Though it initially appeared that her suspension stemmed from the tweets themselves, The Washington Post has reportedly claimed the decision came in response to her sharing a screenshot from her email inbox.
On Sunday, as the nation mourned the tragic death of the beloved basketball star, who died in a helicopter crash, Felicia Sonmez sought to remind everyone that Bryant had been accused of rape in 2003, charges that were eventually dismissed after his accuser told prosecutors that she would not testify in court.
“Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession,” Sonmez said in her tweet, quoting a headline from a 2017 article by The Daily Beast.
Sonmez said she received an onslaught of backlash for her tweet, including death threats and abuse. She responded by defending her initial tweet, arguing that any public figure should be remembered in their totality, even if that leads to “unsettling” conclusions.
“Well, THAT was eye-opening,” she said in the tweet. “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 3+ years ago, and not by me. Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality even if that public figure is beloved and that totality unsettling. That folks are responding with rage & threats toward me (someone who didn’t even write the piece but found it well reported) speaks volumes about the pressure people come under to stay silent in these cases.”
Somnez eventually deleted her tweet and she was suspended by the Post. But, according to reporter Matthew Keys, her suspension was not related to the Kobe Bryant tweet.
“A person who works at the Washington Post says [Somnez] was NOT suspended for linking to the Daily Beast story on Twitter. Her suspension was related to a follow up tweet that contained a screen shot of her work email inbox, which revealed full names of emailers,” Keys said on Twitter, as reported by Mediaite.
“Her managers don’t care about the Daily Beast tweet,” the WaPo employee allegedly said. “But there’s a concern that the screen shot (of her email inbox) might create some legal issues and could violate Twitter’s terms (of service).”
UPDATE: A person who works at the Washington Post says @feliciasonmez was NOT suspended for linking to the Daily Beast story on Twitter. Her suspension was related to a follow up tweet that contained a screen shot of her work email inbox, which revealed full names of emailers.
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) January 27, 2020
"Her managers don’t care about the Daily Beast tweet," a Washington Post employee told me. "But there’s a concern that the screen shot (of her email inbox) might create some legal issues and could violate Twitter’s terms (of service)." https://t.co/66EyVcPsex https://t.co/9JjJnC0uno
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) January 27, 2020
As reported by The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra on Sunday, Kobe Bryant died in a tragic helicopter crash alongside his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people, including the pilot. There were no survivors.
Celebrities and the first family have since mourned Kobe Bryant’s death, hailing him as a basketball legend.
“Thoughts and prayers to the family of #Kobe Bryant and those who lost loved ones in today’s tragic crash. Rest In Peace,” tweeted First Lady Melania Trump.
“Reports are that basketball great Kobe Bryant and three others have been killed in a helicopter crash in California. That is terrible news!” tweeted President Trump.
“There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM ‘SICK RIGHT NOW'” tweeted former Kobe Bryant teammate Shaquille O’Neal.