London – When a reporter from the American newspaper The Washington Post retweeted a sexist dessert, it turned into an international crisis with a possible outcome: the journalist who complained about his colleague was fired and the story made news in many countries.
On June 3, veteran political reporter David Wiegel said, “Every girl is bisexual. You just need to find out if it’s polar or sexual” – and was immediately criticized and subsequently suspended by her colleague Felicia Somnez.
But instead of complaining to management or internal channels, he chose Twitter and sparked an intense debate, which led to his own firing. According to the termination letter released by the US media, “disobedience, defamation of online colleagues, and violation of the Post’s standards for colleague solidarity and workplace inclusion.”
The Experience Didn’t Help the American Journalist Avoid Risk on Twitter
The case exemplifies how the favorite social network of journalists, politicians and influencers is a minefield for those who still don’t understand that some jokes can turn into disaster depending on who posts it.
At the same time, setting boundaries between what can and cannot be posted to employees’ personal accounts on networks, journalism or not, is an example of the challenge that in some cases conflicts with diversity and inclusion policies.
A seasoned professional covering politics in the US capital, Wiegel has 600,000 followers and is active on the platform, tweeting and retweeting angrily. Those who do don’t always have time to consider the consequences of what they share.
In 2017, the journalist posted a photo of a rally by then-candidate Donald Trump, showing several empty seats. However, the image was taken before the public arrived. He apologized but didn’t learn his lesson.
This time the attack was more extensive. The original post was posted by Cam Harless, co-host of the “The Mad Ones” podcast. In one sentence, Harless managed to be aggressive towards women, bisexuals, and people with bipolar disorder.
The journalist apologized for retweeting, but confusion was already starting to build in one of the main newsrooms of American journalism.
I just retweeted an offensive joke. I’m sorry and I didn’t mean to hurt you.
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) June 3, 2022
Complainant journalist sued American newspaper
Felicia Sönmez, who filed a lawsuit last year for banning the Washington Post from reporting sexual abuse cases, was the first to file a complaint.
With irony, she said on Twitter: “It’s great to work at a media outlet that allows retweets like this.”
Working on a news feed that allows retweets like this is great! pic.twitter.com/zs4dX4qprH
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) June 3, 2022
The journalist also questioned his colleague on the internal channel and said the retweet sent “a mixed message about the Post’s values”.
In the case of the American newspaper, there is an aggravating factor: Last year, the American newspaper appointed Sally Buzbee, the first female journalist in history to head the newsroom, promising a different take on diversity, inclusion and representation.
To try to quench the fire of Sönmez’s attempt to make the case public, Buzbee issued a note the next day demanding that journalists “treat each other with respect and courtesy”.
However, Felicia Sönmez, who shelved the lawsuit she filed against the newspaper a month ago, was not satisfied and continued to shoot the director and her colleagues.
Some reacted negatively to their criticism. One of them was Jose Del Real, another journalist in the house, who tried to defend the retweet author, guess where? Of course on Twitter.
He fueled the fire by saying that Sönmez’s tactic “solved nothing” and concluded with a philanthropist (to his male colleague) “Felicia, we all make mistakes from time to time”.
Then he blocked the journalist, mocking the statement that the American newspaper is a collaborative working environment.
I heard The Washington Post is a university workplace. pic.twitter.com/RB0U3pz1vr
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) 8 June 2022
Journalist suspended and silent on Twitter
David Wiegel was suspended for a month without charge. At the end of the term, the Washington Post will have to decide what to do with it.
Judging by the dismissal of Sönmez, no additional sanctions will be imposed on the journalist, since the biggest crime in the case is not tweeting, but the decision to make the criticism public.
Be careful, he withdrew and did not participate in any conversations on the networks. The Twitter account, which had more than 40 posts on June 3, was practically inactive on June 6 with only two new posts and more.
But history is in an uncomfortable position as it divides the team between supporters of the dismissed or the author of the post.
Some are professional colleagues, such as Abdallah Fayyad, opinion writer for the American Boston Globe. The journalist praised Sönmez for doing what employers expect of their employees: to take into account any powerful institution, be it the government or his own newspaper.
What I find most admirable @feliciasonmez being a journalist from start to finish. What it does is exactly what our employers should expect of us journalists: to hold accountable any powerful institution, be it the government or our own publication.
— Abdullah Fayyad (@abdallah_fayyad) 8 June 2022
The same reading was done by people who didn’t work in newsrooms but started following the soap opera on Twitter. Software engineer Marc Hedlund followed suit, questioning whether it was the job of a reporter to discuss situations like this.
I am following @feliciasonmezcontroversy @washingtonpost workplace concerns and I support it. His paper’s leadership and some of his colleagues seem to say, “It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing to discuss these events publicly.” Isn’t that the job of a journalist?
— Marc Hedlund (@marcprecipice) 9 June 2022
But not all Felicia Sönmez’s colleagues supported the decision and took the story so far and publicly.
Coincidentally or not, the posts adopt a very similar narrative, admitting that the American newspaper wasn’t perfect and proud to be working on it, which was the subject of comments suggesting edited action to defend the direction.
After several WaPo reporters tweeted @SallyBuzbee‘s note states that although the institution is not perfect, they are proud to work for the newspaper. There’s some here. pic.twitter.com/y3bxGpmveN
– Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) 7 June 2022
The case continues to resonate with articles in the press, comments on social networks, and internal strife.
Meanwhile, the author of the original post is throwing a party and fueling the controversy that brought him even more fame. In this turmoil, she alone won, she shared opinions and reports on the controversy.
“The Awakening is so serious about everything. A man can face professional backlash and potentially even lose his job for laughing at another man’s joke. It’s a huge loss.” ICYMI @hamcarless: https://t.co/HH5R3qmIqS
— Audience World (@TheSpectator) 12 June 2022
The losers are the people involved and the newspaper itself. To avoid these risks, many media companies set rules for the activities of their journalists on networks.
Not everyone sees restrictions well. In 2020, the BBC was criticized for a package of rules that were downloaded for journalists and recommending that they not even tweet while under the influence of alcohol.
Read more
BBC’s guidelines for journalists using social media
The British company is walking on eggshells, as tweets from its journalists are occasionally newsworthy, pointed to as a defense of a or b. In most cases, these are just complaints from politicians who are offended by negative news.
In the case of the Washington Post, the situation is different. The original tweet was offensive, but not directly related to the journalist’s work covering American politics.
Despite apologies, dismissals and disciplinary actions, these stories are long-lived on digital platforms.
By retweeting the offensive joke, journalist David Wiegel retweeted the offensive joke to an account associated with his work in the American newspaper and followed by 600,000 Twitter users, their company becomes more diverse, inclusive and responsible in representing one of the media’s most sensitive issues: marginalized or minority groups.
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source: Noticias
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