Thursday, March 28, 2024

Reporter Suspended, Receives Death Threats for Tweeting Link About Kobe Bryant’s Rape Case After His Death

Kobe & GiGi Bryant
Kobe & GiGi Bryant

*A Washington Post journalist has been suspended after sharing a link to a 2016 story about the rape allegations made against Kobe Bryant, hours after he died over the weekend.

Sixteen years ago, Bryant was accused of raping a woman at a hotel in Colorado. The alleged victim wouldn’t testify so the charges were dropped.

On Sunday, Felicia Sonmez, a national political reporter for The Washington Post, wasted no time tweeting a link from The Daily Beast about the rape case after news broke that Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26. 

Sonmez said she has since received thousands of death threats.

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Beyonce Slays Again … At Clive Davis Pre-grammy Party – PHOTOS

“To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story – which was written 3+ years ago, and not by me,” she tweeted in response to the heat she’s catching online. “‘Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality even if that public figure is beloved and that totality unsettling.”

She continued: “That folks are responding with rage and threats toward me (someone who didn’t even write the piece but found it well-reported) speaks volumes about the pressure people come under to stay silent in these cases.”

In another tweet, Sonmez said: “If your response to a news article is to resort to harassment and intimidation of journalists, you might want to consider that your behavior says more about you than the person you’re targeting.

She reportedly deleted the tweets after the hashtag #FireFeliciaSonmez began trending on Twitter.

Tracy Grant, managing editor of The Washington Post, told MailOnline: National political reporter Felicia Sonmez was placed on administrative leave while The Post reviews whether tweets about the death of Kobe Bryant violated The Post newsroom’s social media policy. The tweets displayed poor judgment that undermined the work of her colleagues.”

Meanwhile, authorities are still investigating potential causes of the crash, but overcast skies and fog conditions might have played a role in the helicopter accident on Sunday that killed eight passengers. 

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING