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.[1] As a teenager, she did homestays in Japan and Costa Rica, imbuing her with a love of travel.[1] 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 The Wall Street Journal.[2][4]

The Washington Post

In 2010, Sonmez joined The Washington Post as a political reporter.[2] 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.[13][16] Sonmez continued to make tweets critical of the Post, at times arguing with her colleagues.[13] She was fired six days after the incident began.[13][17]

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".[13][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.[1] She previously resided in Washington, D.C.[2]

Her hobbies include road tripping, outdoor recreation, refurbishing furniture, and concertgoing.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Adams, Erin (December 1, 2023). "Meet Felicia Sonmez, BPR's Growth & Development Reporter". WCQS. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Felicia Sonmez". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Jaffe, Harry (May 23, 2011). "Meet the Young Voices Behind the Washington Post's The Fix". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Chang, Andrea (May 15, 2018). "L.A. Times suspends Beijing bureau chief while it investigates sexual misconduct allegation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2022. Sonmez, a former Wall Street Journal editor
  5. ^ Abrams, Rachel; Tracy, Marc (January 28, 2020). "Washington Post Says Reporter's Kobe Bryant Tweets Did Not Break Rules". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  6. ^ Allsop, Jon (January 29, 2020). "Felicia Sonmez and the tyranny of the social-media policy". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  7. ^ 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". CNN Business. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  8. ^ Robertson, Katie (July 22, 2021). "A Washington Post reporter sues the paper and its top editors, claiming discrimination". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  9. ^ "Reporter Says 'Washington Post' Discriminated Against Her As A Sexual Assault Victim". NPR. Associated Press. July 22, 2021. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  10. ^ Chang, Clio (November 15, 2021). "Inside Felicia Sonmez's Lawsuit Against the Washington Post". Intelligencer. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Robertson, Katie (March 25, 2022). "D.C. judge dismisses a discrimination case against The Washington Post". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Characterizations:
  13. ^ a b c d e Robertson, Katie (June 9, 2022). "Reporter Felicia Sonmez Is Fired by The Washington Post". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  14. ^ Schwartzman, Paul; Barr, Jeremy (June 9, 2022). "Felicia Sonmez terminated by The Washington Post after Twitter dispute". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Spangler, Todd (June 6, 2022). "Washington Post Suspends Reporter Who Retweeted Sexist Joke for One Month". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Darcy, Oliver (June 6, 2022). "The Washington Post suspends reporter David Weigel over sexist retweet". CNN Business. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Washington Post fires reporter Felicia Sonmez amid social media controversy". The Guardian. Associated Press. June 10, 2022. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  18. ^ "The Washington Post fires reporter Felicia Sonmez after a week of feuding publicly with her colleagues". CNN. June 10, 2022.
  19. ^ Beaujon, Andrew (August 19, 2022). "The Washington Post Suspended a Media Reporter for Reporting on the Washington Post". Washingtontian. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  20. ^ Adams, Erin (October 10, 2023). "BPR announces new Afternoon Host/Reporter and Growth and Development Reporter". Blue Ridge Public Radio. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
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