Why was a Washington Post reporter punished for speaking up about sexual assault? cliomiso reports on Felicia Sonmez’s war against the paper
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer. Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP/Shutterstock In February 2020, the leadership of the Washington Post was in the midst of an internal crisis. Marty Baron, the revered executive editor credited with reviving the Post after it was nearly washed away by the tsunami of the internet, had launched a listening tour to address the staff’s concerns about the company’s social-media policy.
But for others on staff, it was her suspension that raised greater alarms in the newsroom. On one stop of the listening tour, the lawsuit states that someone asked Baron if murder and sexual assault could be seen as issues with “two sides.” Baron responded, “Murder is evil, okay? … It’s when you get to the point of advocacy of certain policies [that the line is crossed].”
Sonmez’s suit revived the scandal this past summer, a direct challenge to Baron’s legacy. “Marty was held in very high regard in the newsroom, deservedly so,” Christopher Ingraham, a Post reporter who left the paper in June, told me. But, he added, “I think for a lot of folks, some of the shine came off Marty after what happened with Felicia.
Antonia Noori Farzan, a former staff writer on the Post’s foreign desk, said that during her orientation, Grant used an example of a reporter solely posting videos of Syrian atrocities on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Grant said the practice could raise questions about their objectivity on that issue and that they might be barred from covering it.
They include Grant, Ginsberg, and Lori Montgomery as well as Cameron Barr and Peter Wallsten. Between them, they have decades of reporting and editing experience. Montgomery, now the business editor, started at the Post over 20 years ago. Ginsberg moved his way up to national editor over the course of nearly three decades at the paper after starting as a copy aide. Wallsten, who covered politics in Florida early in his career, is the politics editor.
In subsequent meetings, Sonmez tried to make the case that she was qualified to report on sexual-misconduct stories and that she had done so many times for the Post already with no complaints, including pieces on Trump. The lawsuit states that Ginsberg “angrily accused” Sonmez of “wanting news outlets to report on” Kaiman’s resignation.
The editors also questioned Sonmez’s own actions related to the assault, according to the suit. Montgomery and Wallsten allegedly asked Sonmez why she did not go to the police in Beijing, while Montgomery told Sonmez that “she was always taught that a woman should ‘just say no’ if a man tries to assault her.”
In September, the Post filed a motion to dismiss Sonmez’s case, claiming that she had waited too long to sue and that the bans that were instated by the editors were the result of her “public advocacy” rather than discrimination against her gender or status as a sexual-assault victim.
“People have felt very personally affected by what’s happened over the past four years, particularly on matters of race and ethnicity,” Baron said in a recent interview with Harvard Business Review, explaining his views on social media. “But I think it’s important that we maintain the credibility of our institution and that none of us do anything to undermine it. The Post is not just a platform for people to draw attention to themselves.
The lawsuit noted that while Sonmez “fully supported” the Post’s defense of Kim, she was “stunned to see that the same editor who had silenced her from defending herself online, said nothing when she had to leave her home amid threats and continued to bar her from doing her job was being quoted as an authority on protecting female journalists.” Eventually, Sonmez took to Twitter to criticize Ginsberg for hypocrisy along with other editors named in the suit.
The foreign desk — where Denyer worked — was especially difficult for women, multiple sources told me. Over the past decade, the desk has been run by Douglas Jehl. Women often found it hard to advance; in the Post Guild’s pay study, one veteran reporter said that while working as a foreign bureau chief, she found out that the man who held the job before her made $50,000 more than her despite having fewer years of experience at the Post.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Inside Felicia Sonmez’s War Against the Washington PostWhy was a Washington Post reporter punished for speaking up about sexual assault? cliomiso reports on Felicia Sonmez’s war against the paper
Read more »
Majorities back maintaining Roe v. Wade, oppose states' abortion clinic restrictions (POLL)BREAKING: Majorities of Americans support maintaining Roe v. Wade, oppose states making it harder for abortion clinics to operate and see abortion primarily as a decision to be made by a woman and her doctor, not lawmakers, new ABC News/WaPo poll finds.
Read more »
Economic discontent, criticisms of Biden lift GOP to record early advantage: POLLGOP congressional candidates hold their largest lead in midterm election vote preferences in ABC News/WaPo polls dating back 40 years, underscoring profound challenges for Democrats hoping to retain their slim majorities in Congress next year.
Read more »
Schubas and Lincoln Hall Co-Owner Allegedly Used Home Spy Cameras to Record Nude FootageThe co-owner of a popular Chicago music venue allegedly used home spy cameras to record nude footage of two women
Read more »
NRA loses federal appeal over New York gun store closuresA federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled against the National Rifle Association in the gun rights group's lawsuit challenging New York state's closing of gun stores early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more »
Alex Murdaugh case: Palmetto State Bank, PMPED settle with Gloria Ann Satterfield heirsOne party named in a civil lawsuit against former South Carolina attorney Richard 'Alex' Murdaugh has agreed to settle out of court, and another party not named has also settled.
Read more »