MTO News confirmed this morning that Washington Post has been suspended one of its journalists after she tweeted a disrespectful Kobe Bryant link just hours after the basketball legend and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash.
Felicia Sonmez, who is a controversial journalist for the Post, went on Twitter minutes after the world learned of Kobe’s tragic death aboard his private helicopter.
But instead of condolences, Felicia posted a link to an April 2016 story from the news site The Daily Beast which carried the headline: ‘Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession.’
Sonmez doubled down with numerous follow-up tweets when her initial message was hit with an onslaught of backlash, writing that the response was “eye-opening,” and claiming she received abuse and death threats.
That article – which many call ‘racist’ – contained blatant inaccuracies about Kobe’s 2016 alleged rape incident, for which he was not charged by police.
And Felicia was hammered over it. First by Kobe’s fans, then by her bosses at the Washington Post.
After getting thousands of negative comments, this is how she responded:
This morning, her bosses at the Washington Post have “suspended” her indefinitely.
Bryant was a global icon and considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He was accused of rape in 2003 and prosecutors dropped the case when the accuser decided not to testify, according to the Los Angeles Times. A civil suit was settled out of court.