Female Journalist Suspended After Tweeting Kobe Bryant Rape Article

[BorneoBabe]

She didn't even write it, she tweeted it.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kobe-bryant-rape-case-felicia-somnez-washington-post-journalist-suspended-twitter-a9303736.html

The worst thing about mens violent behaviour is that it makes men look bad.

Nobody should erase the horrible actions of the deceased, but there's such thing as timing.

Sometimes all the over the top adulation and grieving for someone people have never known is a bit much to stomach when you know about something like this.

Honestly, when I heard of his passing, the first person I thought of was his victim. I cannot imagine what her life has been like over the years. She has my sympathy and I will always remember her. Rape is a big fucking deal and to me it is unforgivable.

I commented on his Times obituary that he was a rapist. Of course it got removed. It’s absolutely devastating that so many lost lives - if you read the detail of the case he would sleep with another woman called Michele (that his wife knew about) he treated this woman Michele the way he treated this victim and Michele didn’t mind. Maybe Michele consented to being choked but this 19 year old didn’t.

Exactly, wereall, I've been thinking just how awful it must have been for her the past few days with all the public gushing and mourning over Bryant - a bloke who even after a half-arsed rape confession was able to return to lucrative contracts only 2 years later.

Ms Sonmez also added a tweet that contained a screenshot of her email inbox with a message containing verbal abuse and the name of the sender clearly visible, which may be the reason for her suspension

So we don’t actually know what the reason for the suspension is but may be to do with breaching of the WP Social Media policy not linking to the article. Personally I would have held back from mentioning the rape allegation... I doubt the emergency services would even have removed all the bodies from the wreckage at that point. It’s not that the subject doesn’t need to be raised it’s that it doesn’t need to be raised at that moment. No one wants to see their heroes discussed in such terms and particularly in the immediate aftermath of a tragic accident like that when people are upset. I don’t particularly hero worship anyone but I didn’t like the thread the other day regarding David Bowie and sex with the 13 year old. It’s uncomfortable- cognitive dissonance I guess. She was naive to think that tweet was going to receive a positive reception which seems extraordinary given her experience as a journalist.

but may be to do with breaching of the WP Social Media policy

This is my understanding. Doxxing is against policy. She should have taken them to the police not posted them online. That’s on her.

He may have just died but there is a fairly sizeable percentage of people in the world for whom the name Kobe Bryant is synonymous with ‘powerful men get away with rape’. They associate their own trauma with him as much as their own attacker, not to mention his actual victim. Don’t their reactions deserve an immediate voice as much as the hero worshippers?

Those in the UK who have barely heard of his sporting achievements are probably also unaware of what a trigger his rape trial was at the time. The accuser was pursued by his legal team. Confidential information about her (her name and photo were public knowledge) was thrown out. Court errors meant non-reportable background was published online. Eventually she refused to carry on. As part of the civil case settlement Bryant apologised to her publicly stating that he could now understand how she felt she’d been raped, although clearly his decency did not extend to pleading guilty in the criminal case. After a short hiatus he resumed his commercial deals. He had continued to play for the Lakers without a pause during the whole period. Every single thing that happened was a reinforcement of the message that if you’re raped by someone like that and report it, you are likely to come off worse. Many people will remember him for nothing other this - how long a period should he be unconditionally praised for out of decency?

My comment is merely that she shouldn’t be surprised at receiving a negative reaction. The article posted above is not saying she was suspended for raising the rape matter but potentially for the doxxing so the OP is clearly misleading.

The worst thing about mens violent behaviour is that it makes men look bad.

100% this lansgdestiny. Don't speak Ill of the dead also appears to be a privilege that is less likely to be applied to women.

He may have just died but there is a fairly sizeable percentage of people in the world for whom the name Kobe Bryant is synonymous with ‘powerful men get away with rape’. They associate their own trauma with him as much as their own attacker, not to mention his actual victim. Don’t their reactions deserve an immediate voice as much as the hero worshippers?

This.

I've never heard of Kobe Bryant but even by his own words he sounds very unpleasant even if you believed his version of events.

I don’t particularly hero worship anyone but I didn’t like the thread the other day regarding David Bowie and sex with the 13 year old

That's ancient news but I'm always surprised how often Bowie gets plaudits on here for being "gender non- conforming"

"The worst thing about mens violent behaviour is that it makes men look bad."

"100% this lansgdestiny. Don't speak Ill of the dead also appears to be a privilege that is less likely to be applied to women."

My response has nothing to do with him. I'd have a day or two's pity on his family, that's all.

And yes, he sounds like a scumbag. He still has children a wife and a mum who may want a day to grieve the person they wished he was.

I really don't think anything is lost by giving a family, who has unexpectedly lost not one person but two, a small space without talking about the crimes of that person. He's dead and not going anywhere, but his family is alive and deserves some consideration.

Sometimes all the over the top adulation and grieving for someone people have never known is a bit much to stomach when you know about something like this.
The over the top gushing is separate. I can't stand public gushing over celebrities they have never met and don't know. His rape allegation and the half arsed confessions, the returning to his team and lucrative work has been in the public domain for ages. The people gushing will know about it already.

I still think when someone dies they have friends and family who aren't in the limelight, aren't responsible for the deceased actions and it must be a difficult enough time for them to grieve when the whole world is watching without people digging up as much as possible within the early days of their death.

It’s disingenuous to say she’s been suspended for tweeting that article. Seems she’s been suspended for sharing a screenshot of an abusive email with personal details of the sender visible. That goes against most employers social media policies.

There are plenty of instances of women being silenced for speaking uncomfortable truths. We don’t need to fabricate situations where this isn’t what happened.

Desiree'schild why are you surprised? Not everyone does the 'we believe you because you have a vagina' thing, even on this board. It's not compulsory.

I saw this today which really gave me pause. I am aware of Bryant’s legacy in sports and in inspiring young people, particularly those of colour, and I think that is important to bring into discussion of a mixed legacy. But these FB posts, c&ped into a discussion group, made me think about how I was putting across my views.

www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jan/28/washington-post-staff-reject-reporter-suspension-kobe-bryant-felicia-sonmez

It seems she wasn’t meant to post stories which were not on her beat.

feelingverylazytoday

Desiree'schildwhy are you surprised? Not everyone does the 'we believe you because you have a vagina' thing, even on this board. It's not compulsory

Eh? I don't know what point you are making.

My surprise is about the number of times I've seen Bowie lauded on here for being wonderful because he was a "gender non- conforming" man in a dress. It"s a bit odd to praise a man who had sex with a 13 year old girl for being "gender non- conforming"

Or are you suggesting it was the 13 year old who should not be believed?

Calling women who object to rapists 'woke' is appalling. That piece of writing ( if you can call it that) made me feel ill.

Agreed. You can’t philanthropise your way out of being a rapist.

This is not the first time I’ve seen women being dismissed as hideous white feminists for discussing a rapist who is black. My anger with and contempt for rapists has no relation whatsoever to their race.

I wonder how nuanced the feelings of these women defending Kobe's legacy about their own rapists or the rapists of their loved ones? They can rationalise their hypocrisy until the cows come home. They will not change my feelings about him. I am black and I do not see him as a hero. He was a very rich and powerful individual who bought his way out of a rape conviction. He had more in common with other rich and powerful people than with he did with me.

It’s sparked a huge debate in the group too. I don’t think I agree entirely with it or entirely with criticism of it. I hate ‘woke’ wherever it’s used, and I don’t think it’s fair to say that white women can’t be angry about it all. But I also think it’s worth considering the dynamics of the impact of the work he did (whether to atone or to polish up his reputation, and my jury is firmly out on that one) and to absorb the potential criticism of failing to apply an intersectional approach.

Personally I have also been critical of Bowie, and Lennon, and others, and am sick to the back teeth of ‘talent’ outweighing shit behaviour. But it also doesn’t stop me liking their work, even though I don’t want to.