A Washington Post reporter has been reinstated after she was suspended for tweeting an article detailing sexual assault allegations against Kobe Bryant.
Felicia Sonmez tweeted the 2016 Daily Beast article entitled "Kobe Bryant's Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser's Story, and the Half-Confession", just hours after the former basketball player's death.
Bryant was accused of sexual assault in 2003, although the charges against him were later dropped after the alleged victim refused to testify.
A civil lawsuit regarding the incident was settled for an undisclosed sum of money.
After the initial backlash to her tweet, Ms Sonmez posted a number of now deleted tweets.
She wrote: "Well, THAT was eye-opening.
"To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse an death threats, please take a moment and read the story - which was written 3+ years ago, and not by me.
"Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality."
She continued in a second tweet: "Even if that public figure is beloved and that totality unsettling.
"That folks are responding with rage & threats towards me (someone who didn't even write the piece but found it well-reported) speaks volumes about the pressure people come under to stay silent in these cases."
Tracy Grant, The Post's managing editor, said in a statement on Monday that the tweets "displayed poor judgement that undermined the work of her colleagues."
"National political reporter Felicia Sonmez was placed on administrative leave while The Post reviews whether tweets about the death of Kobe Bryant violated The Post newsroom's social media policy," she added.
Sonmez was then briefly suspended while an internal review was conducted.
Following the internal review Ms Sonmez was exonerated.
In a statement The Washington Post said: "After conducting an internal review, we have determined that, while we consider Felicia's tweets ill-timed, she was not in clear and direct violation of our social media policy.
"Reporters on social media represent The Washington Post, and our policy states "we must be ever mindful of preserving the reputation of The Washington Post for journalistic excellence, fairness and independence.'
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"We consistently urge restraint, which is particularly important when there are tragic deaths. We regret having spoken publicly about a personnel matter."
Ms Sonmez welcomed the decision.
She tweeted: "I hope Washington Post newsroom leaders will not only prioritize their employees’ safety in the face of threats of physical harm but also ensure that no journalist will be punished for speaking the truth."
