Felicia Sonmez, a political reporter working for The Washington Post, was ruthlessly trolled online after tweeting an article written about Kobe Bryant’s disturbing rape case. Felicia posted the tweets on January 27, 2020, one day after Bryant’s tragic death. Facing online backlash, Felicia was forced to delete the tweets and was briefly suspended from her job.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the Washington Post’s decision to reinstate their national politics reporter Felicia Sonmez. She was sent on administrative leave on January 27. The publication’s earlier decision received criticism within the industry, which eventually led them to reinstate Felicia.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the online harassment of Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez and the events that have ensued. Felicia received immense hate over her Kobe Bryant tweets that featured sexual harassment accusations against him. The tweet picked heat online very quickly leading to threats against Felicia. The reporter faced suspension and was sent on an administrative leave by the publication. In the meantime, the Post reviewed if the tweets related to Kobe Bryant violated their newsroom’s social media policy.