The Washington Post he suspended a reporter after he tweeted a league to an article that talked about rape accusations filed years ago against Kobe Bryant, on the day the exastro of the NBA He died in a helicopter accident. Dozens of newspaper journalists criticized the decision.
Reporter Felicia Sonmez posted her tweet on Sunday, at a time when many people were sorry for Bryant’s death. Immediately, Sonmez got angry responses on social networks.
The Post reported that Sonmez even received warnings that she would be killed or raped, and had to move to a hotel, after her address was revealed online.
According to the newspaper, Sonmez deleted the original tweet at the request of an editor. He also received an email from executive editor Marty Baron, who reproached him: “It was a true lack of judgment tweeting this. Please stop. You are harming this institution by doing this. ”
Sonmez shared the mail with a reporter from The Associated Press.
The Post He reported that Sonmez was licensed to leave with pay, while the editorial staff analyzed what happened. A spokeswoman for the newspaper did not answer a series of questions about Baron’s message.
On Monday night, Sonmez said he is still suspended and does not know how long the license will last. He added that he has been in communication with the union Washington Post Newspaper Guild, and that you could meet your board soon.
Members of the trade association protested against the suspension. They stressed that Sonmez had “received a barrage of violent messages” and “had received insufficient parameters from Post on how to protect yourself. ”
“We understand that the hours after Bryant’s death on Sunday were a delicate time to share a report on past allegations of sexual assault,” the union members wrote. “The loss of such a beloved figure and many other lives is a tragedy. But we believe that it is our responsibility, as a news organization, to tell the public the whole truth as we know it about figures and institutions, popular and unpopular, at opportune and inopportune moments. ”
The controversial tweet led to an article published in 2016 by the Daily Beast which was entitled “The disturbing case of rape by Kobe Bryant: The evidence of DNA, the story of the accuser and half confession.”
In 2003, Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old girl who worked at a Colorado resort. The basketball player insisted that sexual relations were mutually agreed, and prosecutors finally dropped the charge of sexual assault, at the accuser’s request. The woman then filed a civil lawsuit against Bryant, in which an out-of-court settlement was reached. (D)
–
