Pictures of reporters Felicia Sonmez and Dave Weigel beside a photograph of the Washington Post building with the paper's name written on the granite wall outside the front door.

2022 Felicia Sonmez and Dave Weigel Washington Post Controversy

Updated Jun 10, 2022 at 12:00PM EDT by Zach.

Added Jun 09, 2022 at 03:15PM EDT by Aidan Walker.

PROTIP: Press 'i' to view the image gallery, 'v' to view the video gallery, or 'r' to view a random entry.

This submission is currently being researched & evaluated!

You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation.

Overview

The 2022 Felicia Sonmez and Dave Weigel Washington Post Controversy refers to the ongoing controversy in early June 2022 over the Washington Post's social media policy for journalists and its purportedly toxic workplace environment. The controversy originated on June 3rd when politics reporter Dave Weigel retweeted a joke by Twitter user Cam Harless, which many deemed sexist and ableist. Fellow colleague Felicia Sonmez then criticized Weigel in a quote tweet, which Weigel then deleted. The ensuing controversy led to Weigel being suspended without pay. Jose Del Real, another Post colleague, then criticized Sonmez for publically calling out Weigel, which snowballed into an argument that involved several other colleagues in the following days. Sonmez went on to describe a hostile and unfair workplace at the Post and documented alleged harassment she suffered during the dispute. Sonmez was then fired by the Washington Post after a week of arguments online, inspiring viral debates surrounding the debacle around the web that month.

Background

Felicia Sonmez's Accusations Against Kobe Bryant (2021)

Felicia Sonmez has taken issue with the Washington Post's social media policy in the past, arguing that it has been unfairly applied, with more renowned journalists like Weigel being able to tweet whatever they wish. Sonmez received heavy criticism in 2021 for a tweet detailing rape accusations against Kobe Bryant hours after the basketball player's death.[9] She then sued the Post for discrimination and emotional damages that same year, though the case was eventually dismissed.

During the backlash to the Sonmez tweet about Kobe Bryant, Dave Weigel notably joined other Post colleagues in defending Sonmez.[3]

Washington Post Social Media Guidelines

Unlike its main competitor, The New York Times, the Washington Post has not ever issued an official set of social media guidelines that instruct reporters on the paper's expectations for their social media posts and the consequences in place if they fail to meet those expectations. The Times issued their guidelines in April 2022 and notably called for journalists to "meaningfully reduce"[4] their time spent on Twitter, due to what editors perceived as a threat to the quality of reporting and the reputation of the paper.

Dave Weigel-Felicia Sonmez June 2022 Controversy

The controversy began on June 3rd, 2022, when politics reporter Dave Weigel retweeted a joke by self-described shitposter Cam Harless, which many found sexist and ableist.[1] His colleague, Felicia Sonmez, then criticized Weigel in a June 3rd quote-tweet (see below).


Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez. Jun 3, 2022 Fantastic to work at a news outlet where retweets like this are allowed! David Weigel Retweeted Cam Harless @hamcarless Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if it's polar or sexual. 11:54 PM 6/1/22 Twitter for iPhone . 528 Retweets 115 Quote Tweets 4,347 Likes

Weigel later deleted the retweet, but the ensuing controversy led to his month-long suspension without pay on June 7th. Another Post college, Jose Del Real, criticized Sonmez for calling out Weigel publicly, leading to a days-long argument that involved several other colleagues at the newspaper.

In Twitter threads surrounding the controversy on June 7th, Sonmez then described a history of what she viewed as unfair and unequal treatment in the Washington Post newsroom (see below).[2]


Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez · Jun 7, 2022 Replying to @feliciasonmez Are there "different rules for different people here?" Yes. We've known it for more than two years. We held three company-wide "listening sessions" on the issue in Feb. 2020, shortly before Post staffers began working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. 10/x Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez And honestly, we've known it for far longer than that. For years, Post employees have been raising concerns of unequal treatment of employees from different backgrounds, or of "stars" versus everyone else - not just when it comes to social media use. None of this is new. 11/x 9:57 AM Jun 7, 2022 Ⓡ 190 Reply Share

Over the course of the following days, Sonmez described a "hostile and unfair workplace" at the Post in numerous Twitter threads, and documented harassment she suffered during the controversy. On June 9th, 2022, Felicia Sonmez was fired by the Washington Post after a week of arguments online, according to reporting from The Daily Beast.[8]

Online Reactions

The controversy in early June 2022 sparked widespread debates and media coverage around the web, particularly on Twitter. Some posters online took the side of Dave Weigel, defending him against the criticisms leveled by Felicia Sonmez. For example, Twitter user @samhaselby tweeted in support of Weigel on June 6th, earning over 5,000 likes in three days (seen below).[5]



Others took the side of Sonmez, supporting her as she continued for several days to critique the Post and confront coworkers online. For example, Twitter user @katiedimartin spoke up in support of Sonmez on June 5th, earning almost 800 likes in four days.[6]


Katie Martin @katiedimartin when I first saw @feliciasonmez criticizing that sexist retweet, I thought that she was right but it wasn't a big deal. the horrific backlash to her totally justified criticism, including ongoing harassment by her male colleague, proves just how right she was about sexism at wapo 7:46 PM Jun 5, 2022 . Ⓡ Read the full conversation on Twitter 794 Reply Share Read 144 replies

Many commentators from outside the newspaper made fun of the controversy or pointed to it as an example of the purported insularity and toxicity of major media organizations. Twitter user and podcaster Noam Blum posted a meme mocking the controversy on June 6th, which received over 1,700 likes in its first 24 hours (seen below).[7]



Various Reactions


kim possible facts @kimpossiblefact people are really glossing over the real victim in this dave weigel controversy: humble shitposters like myself, whom dave will now have to think twice about before retweeting. 12:16 AM Jun 7, 2022 . Read the full conversation on Twitter 662 Reply Share Cam Harless @hamcarless I mean, someone has to tweet the wrongthink for journalists to retweet and then apologize for, right? 10:01 PM Jun 6, 2022 91 Reply Share Alex Thompson @AlexThomp. Jun 8 Wapo newsroom still tense today as Breanna Muir replies all to Sally Buzbee's note from yesterday. "Does our company social media policy not apply to Lisa Rein for telling Felicia Sonmez to stop on Twitter? In all honesty, her comment doesn't really sound collegial to me". Hi Sally, Does our company social media policy not apply to Lisa Rein for telling Felicia Sonmez to stop on Twitter? In all honesty, her comment doesn't really sound collegial to me. In the last year, we have enforced, through conversations, mediation and disciplinary measures, egregious violations of our social media policy, just as we have enforced our overall standards. As we have said, we plan to update the social media policy Until then, the current policy remains in effect. It states: When it comes to your colleagues, be constructive and collegial: If you have a question or concern about something that has been published, speak to your colleague directly. I don't understand how speaking out against sexism, discrimination and unequal treatment happening here in our newsroom is wrong? It is unjust, that our newsroom is falling to acknowledge and allowing the type of behavior. I thought the Washington Post took pride in telling the truth and would never try to cover it up. -Breanna Muir 417 996 341 Kendall Brown @kendallybrown It's interesting that so many men in media see Dave Weigel's pattern of misogynistic jokes & comments as just "shitposting" but see @feliciasonmez's public criticism of one of those jokes as "harassment". Saagar Enjeti @esaagar Just so we're all clear: Taylor Lorenz can literally lie and violate basic standards and gets no punishment. Felicia can leak her bosses emails..violate company policy and harass her coworkers and is good to go Dave Weigel shitposts and he's suspended w/o pay for a month 5:16 PM Jun 6, 2022 867 Reply Share

External References

Recent Videos

There are no videos currently available.

Recent Images 12 total


Top Comments

sauvignon1
sauvignon1

The whole thing was just so fucking high school. I know I'm not the first to make that observation, but it's true. These people are coddled children, never taught how to properly manage their emotions are deal with challenging situations, and I'm just happy the paper's management finally rediscovered their balls and remembered who was supposed to be in charge.

+23

+ Add a Comment

Comments (19)


Display Comments

Add a Comment


Greetings! You must login or signup first!