‘Intense, discriminatory, vile’: Online trolling of women journalists in South Asia
Every day, faceless online trolls launch attacks against women journalists – not just for doing their jobs, but simply for being women. These journalists and their support networks in South Asia call for more to be done to protect women in media from online violence, writes Olivia Cleal.
It is not uncommon for women journalists in South Asia to wake up and open their social media accounts, only to be hit with a barrage of slurs, attacks, and abusive messages.
Just weeks ago, Indian journalist Srishti Jaswal published an article interviewing the partner of a political prisoner, who has been detained for protesting a citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims in India.
Almost immediately, the abuse began.
“I was trolled quite massively… all these far-right influencers associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A lot of anonymous accounts came and threatened me,” said Jaswal.
But when she asked for support from her colleagues, peers, friends, and family, nobody stood with her.
“Everyone knows if they support me, they will also be trolled,” she said.
Mounting pressure and polarisation in the South Asia region have led to increased media rights violations in recent years, not least of all affecting women journalists. The International Federation of Journalists reported 19 online attacks against journalists and eight gender-based attacks between May 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, in its latest South Asia Press Freedom Report.
And the impact on women, media workers, and the journalism industry itself is nothing short of dire.
When Jaswal faced online trolling, she was forced to delete all photos and log out of her Twitter and Instagram accounts to avoid trolls misusing her content even further.
“People are so afraid now, that they don’t have the strength to even offer support,” she said.
“That makes it an even more lonely job and lonely fight, because once these things start getting active, then you can’t do anything.
“The only thing you can do is retreat.”
Source: IFJ
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