There’s been a lot of debate about how many journalists have chosen to focus on Kobe’s 2003 rape allegation just moments after the news broke about him and his daughter dying in a helicopter crash on the morning of Sunday, January 26, 2020.
That same afternoon, Felicia Sonmez, a political reporter for the Washington Post, tweeted a 2016 Daily Beast article entitled, “Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession.” People were outraged and quick responded to her tweet. Sonmez deleted her initial tweet but the damage had already been done.
Tracy Grant, a managing editor at The Washington Post, released a statement on Monday (1/27):
“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.”
Did she display poor judgement?
Perhaps Lindsey Granger (below), a former journalist and current talk show host from the Daily Blast Live, offers a much-needed perspective on the role journalists should play in the immediate aftermath of such a conflicting and tragic incident.
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