Episode 118: Every Podcaster is Bi. You Just Have To Figure Out If It's Polar Or Sexual

After Jesse issues a very deep and personal apology about an egregious error, the hosts discuss the endlessly swirling media shitstorm surrounding Felicia Sonmez. To discuss this episode with other premium subscribers, click here.

Show notes/Links:

JournoList: https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/06/the-washington-posts-dave-weigel-resigns-following-strange-semi-scandal

Emily Yoffe on Jonathan Kaiman: https://reason.com/2019/08/23/im-radioactive/

Anna Merlan on Emily Yoffe on Jonathan Kaiman: https://jezebel.com/emily-yoffe-is-back-on-her-bullshit-heres-what-an-alleg-1837679900

Felicia Sonmez on Emily Yoffe on Jonathan Kaiman:

Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez

My response to @EmilyYoffe's @reason piece on Jonathan Kaiman is here: bit.ly/2Hn1Rv9 I've written to @kmanguward and other editors requesting that they correct the piece. In her 8,000-word story, there was a lot Ms. Yoffe got wrong, so please forgive the length. (1/2)

Anna Merlan: “'Is the UVA Rape Story a Gigantic Hoax?' Asks Idiot”: https://jezebel.com/is-the-uva-rape-story-a-gigantic-hoax-asks-idiot-1665233387

Kobe Bryant thing: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomspiggle/2020/02/04/what-felicia-sonmezs-recent-tweets-about-kobe-bryant-tell-us-about-the-free-speech-rights-of-employees/?sh=270e72ca73af

Letter of support signed by Weigel and many others: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ErQ7bN352jQZ0Ka8kCzAW8CWr2zEnUIvms5BG2Kdt1E/edit

Sonmez statement:

Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez

I believe that Washington Post readers and employees, including myself, deserve to hear directly from @PostBaron on the newspaper’s handling of this matter. My statement on The Post’s decision tonight:

Policy reversal: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/washington-post-reverses-prohibition-on-reporter-from-writing-about-sexual-assault/2021/03/29/c0ee3be0-90c5-11eb-9668-89be11273c09_story.html

Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez

Hours before the 3/16 Washington Post town hall that @politico reported on, I had a session with a therapist I hadn’t seen for more than a year (I had changed insurance). I caught him up on the events of the past year, including all the threats, my doxxing and suspension. 1/x

Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez

Wish the same Post editor who is quoted in this piece supported me when I was doxxed and had to leave my home. Instead, they were silent, and I was suspended. They continue to prevent me from fully doing my job, by barring me from covering sexual assault—an action so harmful 1/2

Charlotte Klein @charlottetklein

I wrote about online harassment of female journalists, and how news organizations are grappling with the increasingly vicious situation. Thanks to everyone who spoke to me for this piece @lilsarg @wagatwe @stevenjay https://t.co/gD8GOxGHzv

Lawsuit: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/media/washington-post-lawsuit-felicia-sonmez/index.html

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/11/inside-felicia-sonmezs-war-against-the-washington-post.html

Result: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21523815-sonmezvwprlg032522

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/25/media/washington-post-felicia-sonmez-suit-dismissed/index.html

Initial Sonmez complaint about Weigel:

Felicia Sonmez @feliciasonmez

Fantastic to work at a news outlet where retweets like this are allowed!

Jose A. Del Rel criticizes her approach:

Jose A. Del Real @jdelreal

@feliciasonmez Felicia, we all mess up from time to time. Engaging in repeated and targeted public harassment of a colleague is neither a good look nor is it particularly effective. It turns the language of inclusivity into clout chasing and bullying. I don’t think this is appropriate.

Weigel apologizes:

David Weigel @daveweigel

I just removed a retweet of an offensive joke. I apologize and did not mean to cause any harm.

Breanna Muir inserts herself:

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy

Tension at WaPo remains high today. Video technician Breanna Muir, who was misidentified in a tweet from a colleague as "Breanna Taylor," sent the following note to the entire newsroom this morning, replying all to Sally Buzbee's Sunday memo.

He already apologized:

Micah Gelman @mbgelman

In a long thread last night thanking my staff for working exhaustive hours, I inadvertently misidentified Breanna Muir. I reached out to her to apologize and do so here now. We are all working extremely long hours and while this was not intentional, it should not have happened.

Coverage of firing: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/09/felicia-sonmez-fired-by-the-washington-post-00038622

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/business/media/felicia-sonmez-washington-post.html

“And then you have Felicia, who is essentially pouring gasoline on every fire and inviting people to watch.”: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/06/inside-the-washington-posts-social-media-meltdown

Image source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/how-the-new-washington-post-building-ushers-in-a-new-era-of-journalism/2015/12/10/656c248a-9ea9-11e5-9ad2-568d814bbf3b_video.html