Washington Post Reporter Felicia Sonmez Sues The Washington Post: Read It For Yourself

Andrew Donaldson

Born and raised in West Virginia, Andrew has been the Managing Editor of Ordinary Times since 2018, is a widely published opinion writer, and appears in media, radio, and occasionally as a talking head on TV. He can usually be found misspelling/misusing words on Twitter@four4thefire. Andrew is the host of Heard Tell podcast. Subscribe to Andrew'sHeard Tell Substack for free here:

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12 Responses

  1. Jaybird says:

    Same thing happened to O’Reilly.

    Wait. How does whataboutism work again?Report

    • CJColucci in reply to Jaybird says:

      What “thing” that happened to O’Reilly do you have in mind? In O’Reilly’s case, he was the sexual abuser. In this case, Sonmez was the sexually abused.Report

      • Jaybird in reply to CJColucci says:

        I guess that this makes what the WaPo did especially egregious.

        Unless there’s some “we don’t think that you’ll have the necessary journalistic distance to cover this story fairly” thing going on. I wouldn’t want to be the editor defending that decision in the current year, I tell you what.Report

      • veronica d in reply to CJColucci says:

        It seems almost as if JB cannot perceive the asymmetry between an abuser and a victim of abuse. This is a repeated pattern for him and it’s very odd.Report

        • Jaybird in reply to veronica d says:

          (I was mocking “whataboutism”.)

          *I* wouldn’t be interested in defending it… but once people see who is sharpening their knives getting ready to pounce on Bezos’s newspaper for this, I am very interested in seeing who gets anti-anti.Report

          • CJColucci in reply to Jaybird says:

            So, to repeat the question, what “thing” that happened to O’Reilly did you have in mind?Report

            • Jaybird in reply to CJColucci says:

              Um, the fact that he got shitcanned for being a bad actor.

              Compare/contrast to being taken off of a beat for being harassed.

              Completely and absolutely different.

              But if I wanted to deflect an attack away from the Warshington Post, I’d yell “LOOK OVER THERE!” and point to Fox News or something.

              Because, well, you have to understand. The Warshington Post is doing important work. Stuff like this shouldn’t detract from what they’re doing.

              It’s the Al Franken of newspapers. People just want to kick it while it’s down in service to a belief system that they don’t even hold.Report

              • CJColucci in reply to Jaybird says:

                Once you have to say plainly what you’re talking about, it’s far less interesting. It’s also not “the same thing.” In fact, as has been pointed out, it’s the opposite of “the same thing.”
                If and when someone whatabouts WAPO by pointing at Fox, have at it. In the meantime, your argument is, apparently, with the voices in your head.Report

              • Jaybird in reply to CJColucci says:

                In the meantime, your argument is, apparently, with the voices in your head.

                I prefer to call them “models”.Report

              • CJColucci in reply to Jaybird says:

                Of course that’s what you’d prefer to call them.Report

  2. Chip Daniels says:

    Related:
    Activision Blizzard Sued Over ‘Frat Boy’ Culture, Harassment
    https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/activision-blizzard-sued-by-california-over-frat-boy-culture

    Because our Twitter age has the attention span of a gnat, I think there are a lot of people who think MeToo is sort of an old issue, discussed, litigated, resolved.

    But…the WaPo case and this one, demonstrate that the disrespect and marginalization of women is a continuing problem in need of being addressed.
    What they demonstrate isn’t rogue individuals, odd Man Bites Dog anomalies, but chronic persistent cultures that foster abuse.Report

    • Philip H in reply to Chip Daniels says:

      Haven’t you heard Chip – everyone here except you and me is quite sure these are all individual choices and not the result of systems of “-isms” that need to be constantly addressed.Report