Felicia Sonmez Explained

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. In 2023, she joined Blue Ridge Public Radio as the station's growth and development reporter.

Early life and education

Sonmez grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey.[1] Her mother, who raised her along with relatives, was born in Belfast, and her father's side is Turkish. As a teenager, she did homestays in Japan and Costa Rica, imbuing her with a love of travel. She received a B.A. in government from Harvard College in 2005.[2]

Career

After studying for the Foreign Service, Sonmez instead moved to Beijing to teach English where she began working for Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.[3] She was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for Agence France-Presse and edited the China Real Time Report of The Wall Street Journal.[4]

The Washington Post

In 2010, Sonmez joined The Washington Post as a political reporter. 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 later concluded that she did not violate its social media policy.[5] [6] [7]

Sonmez again drew attention in July 2021 after having sued The Washington Post, alleging that the paper had discriminated against her by blocking her from covering sexual assault cases after she came forward as a survivor.[8] [9] [10] The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed with prejudice.[11]

Sonmez was then fired from The Washington Post in June 2022 after publicly criticizing a colleague, Dave Weigel, on Twitter. Weigel had retweeted a sexist[12] joke, made by YouTuber Cam Harless.[13] [14] Sonmez criticized Weigel (and the Post) In a tweet of her own, and Weigel apologized and removed his retweet.[15] Three days later, Weigel would be suspended for a month without pay.[16] Sonmez continued to make tweets critical of the Post, at times arguing with her colleagues. She was fired six days after the incident began.

Sonmez's firing 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".[17] [18] Sonmez sought arbitration through the Post Guild over her firing.[19]

Blue Ridge Public Radio

In 2023, Sonmez joined Blue Ridge Public Radio as the station's growth and development reporter.[20]

Personal life

Sonmez lives in Asheville, North Carolina. She previously resided in Washington, D.C.

Her hobbies include road tripping, outdoor recreation, refurbishing furniture, and concertgoing.

Notes and References

  1. News: Adams . Erin . Meet Felicia Sonmez, BPR's Growth & Development Reporter . 20 December 2023 . . 1 December 2023 . en.
  2. News: Felicia Sonmez . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220504224030/https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/felicia-sonmez/ . May 4, 2022.
  3. Jaffe . Harry . May 23, 2011 . Meet the Young Voices Behind the Washington Post's The Fix . live . . en-US . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610071215/https://www.washingtonian.com/2011/05/23/meet-the-young-voices-behind-the-washington-posts-the-fix/ . June 10, 2022 . June 12, 2022.
  4. News: Chang . Andrea . May 15, 2018 . L.A. Times suspends Beijing bureau chief while it investigates sexual misconduct allegation . en . . June 14, 2022 . Sonmez, a former Wall Street Journal editor.
  5. News: Abrams . Rachel . Tracy . Marc . January 28, 2020 . Washington Post Says Reporter's Kobe Bryant Tweets Did Not Break Rules . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610012143/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/business/media/felicia-sonmez-kobe-bryant-tweet.html . June 10, 2022.
  6. News: Allsop . Jon . January 29, 2020 . Felicia Sonmez and the tyranny of the social-media policy . en . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220503095737/https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/felicia_sonmez_kobe_bryant_washington_post.php . May 3, 2022.
  7. News: Darcy . Oliver . January 28, 2020 . Washington Post reinstates reporter who it suspended over Kobe Bryant tweets, saying she hadn't violated the newspaper's social media policy . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211204211100/https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/28/media/washington-post-felicia-sonmez-kobe-bryant/index.html . December 4, 2021.
  8. News: Robertson . Katie . July 22, 2021 . A Washington Post reporter sues the paper and its top editors, claiming discrimination. . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220609235549/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/22/business/media/washington-post-discrimination-lawsuit.html . June 9, 2022.
  9. News: July 22, 2021 . Reporter Says 'Washington Post' Discriminated Against Her As A Sexual Assault Victim . en . . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610022208/https://www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019470155/washington-post-reporter-discrimination-suit-felicia-sonmez . June 10, 2022.
  10. News: Chang . Clio . 15 November 2021 . Inside Felicia Sonmez's Lawsuit Against the Washington Post . en-us . . 24 October 2022.
  11. News: Robertson . Katie . March 25, 2022 . D.C. judge dismisses a discrimination case against The Washington Post. . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610000612/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/25/business/media/discrimination-case-washington-post.html . June 10, 2022.
  12. Characterizations:
  13. News: Robertson . Katie . June 9, 2022 . Reporter Felicia Sonmez Is Fired by The Washington Post . . live . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220609235707/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/business/media/felicia-sonmez-washington-post.html . June 9, 2022 . NYT termination.
  14. News: Schwartzman . Paul . Barr . Jeremy . June 9, 2022 . Felicia Sonmez terminated by The Washington Post after Twitter dispute . . June 25, 2022.
  15. News: Spangler . Todd . Washington Post Suspends Reporter Who Retweeted Sexist Joke for One Month . 13 December 2023 . Variety . June 6, 2022 . variety.
  16. News: Darcy . Oliver . June 6, 2022 . The Washington Post suspends reporter David Weigel over sexist retweet . en . . June 25, 2022.
  17. News: June 10, 2022 . Washington Post fires reporter Felicia Sonmez amid social media controversy . en . . . live . June 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220611215524/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jun/10/washington-post-fires-reporter-felicia-sonmez-amid-social-media-controversy . June 11, 2022 . Guardian.
  18. Web site: The Washington Post fires reporter Felicia Sonmez after a week of feuding publicly with her colleagues . . June 10, 2022.
  19. Web site: Beaujon . Andrew . The Washington Post Suspended a Media Reporter for Reporting on the Washington Post . . August 19, 2022 . March 29, 2023.
  20. News: Adams . Erin . October 10, 2023 . BPR announces new Afternoon Host/Reporter and Growth and Development Reporter . . live . October 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231018025918/https://www.bpr.org/bpr-events-activities/2023-10-10/bpr-announces-new-afternoon-host-reporter-and-growth-and-development-reporter . October 18, 2023.

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