Online targetting of Women Journalists - Statement by Editors’s Guild

PRESS STATEMENT

October 28th, 2022

The Editors Guild of India had issued a statement on January 11, 2022 expressing deep concern about the online harassment and targeting of women journalists.

Amongst other instances, the statement had also referred to a series of reports carried by the Wire on an app called the Tek Fog. Since the Wire has removed those stories as part of their internal review following serious questions on the veracity of their reporting, the Guild withdraws the references made to all those reports.

However, the Guild reiterates that online trolling of women journalists remains an important issue, and that better safeguards need to be put in place, including a strong and effective complaints and redressal system for the victims.

The Guild is also disturbed by the recent turn of events with respect to the reports published by the Wire on Meta. The Guild is conscious of and emphasizes the need for extra care in investigative journalism, and urges newsrooms to resist the temptation of moving fast on sensitive stories, circumventing due journalistic norms and checks.

Thanks and regards,

Seema Mustafa, President
Anant Nath, General Secretary
Shriram Pawar, Treasurer