After studying for the Foreign Service, Sonmez instead moved to Beijing to teach English where she began working for Japanese newspaper
Yomiuri Shimbun. She was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for
Agence France-Presse and edited the China Real Time Report of
The Wall Street Journal.
The Washington Post In 2010, Sonmez joined
The Washington Post as a political reporter. Sonmez again drew attention in July 2021 after having sued
The Washington Post, alleging that the paper had discriminated against her by blocking her from covering sexual assault cases after she came forward as a survivor. The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed with
prejudice. Sonmez was then fired from
The Washington Post in June 2022 after publicly criticizing a colleague,
David Weigel, on
Twitter. Weigel had retweeted a sexist joke, made by YouTuber Cam Harless. Sonmez criticized Weigel (and the
Post) in a tweet of her own, and Weigel apologized and removed his retweet. Three days later, Weigel would be suspended for a month without pay. Sonmez continued to make tweets harshly critical of the
Post, at times arguing with her colleagues. Sonmez sought arbitration through the Post Guild over her firing.
Blue Ridge Public Radio In 2023, Sonmez joined
Blue Ridge Public Radio as the station's Growth and Development reporter. == Personal life ==