Washington Post Reporter Slams ‘All White’ Co-Workers for Defending Paper as Twitter Meltdown Enters Day 7

Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez on Thursday called out her colleagues over their defense of the paper in a continuation of a Twitter spat that began a week ago.

“The reporters who issued synchronized tweets this week downplaying the Post’s workplace issues have a few things in common with each other,” Sonmez wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning. “They are all white . . . They are among the highest-paid employees in the newsroom, making double and even triple what some other National desk reporters are making, particularly journalists of color . . . They are among the ‘stars’ who ‘get away with murder’ on social media.”

Sonmez was apparently referring to tweets by several Washington Post reporters earlier this week saying the paper is not “perfect” but that they are proud to work there. The tweets were all issued within minutes of each other and featured nearly identical language.

The controversy began on June 2 when Post reporter Dave Weigel retweeted a joke from YouTuber Cam Harless stating, “Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if it’s polar or sexual.” Weigel later deleted the retweet and apologized, saying “I just removed a retweet of an offensive joke. I apologize and did not mean to cause any harm.”

Sonmez shared a screenshot of the retweet, writing “Fantastic to work at a news outlet where retweets like this are allowed!” The ensuing controversy prompted Weigel’s month-long suspension from the paper without pay. Fellow Post reporter Jose A. Del Real chided Somnez on Twitter for continuing to attack Weigel and the paper after he apologized and was suspended, accusing her of a pattern of public bullying and “clout chasing.” Sonmez then turned on Del Real, saying that his tweets violated the paper’s social-media policy.

Sally Buzbee, the Post‘s executive editor, issued an internal memo in response to the incidents, saying “we do not tolerate colleagues attacking colleagues either face to face or online.” It was after this memo that other Post reporters wrote on Twitter that they were proud to work there.

Apparently commenting on those tweets, Sonmez wrote on Thursday: “Of course the Washington Post is a great workplace. It is a great workplace *for them.* The system is working *for them.* What about for everyone else?”

Somnez sued the Post in June 2021, accusing her editors of discrimination after they barred her from covering the MeToo movement and allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. That decision was made in response to Somnez’s activism on the subject and her public identification as a victim of sexual assault. The case was dismissed by a Washington, D.C., court in March.