PPF condemns online campaign against Gharida Farooqi
Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) condemns the online smear campaign against senior journalist and NewsOne anchorperson Gharida Farooqi. Attacks against journalists in particular gendered attacks online are a worrying trend in Pakistan and must be condemned to ensure the safety of media personnel.
According to the Coalition for Women in Journalism, in the last week on September, when certain video clips of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mohammad Zubair were shared online, Farooqi had called “for a fair investigation into the matter and she was targetted for her principled stance”. Zubair had said the video was “fake and doctored”.
A trend on Twitter regarding Farooqi was also started.
Many journalists and media bodies in Pakistan as well as internationally condemned the attacks against Farooqi.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the “malicious campaign” against Farooqi, terming it “unacceptable and uncalled for behaviour”. The PFUJ urged state institutions to take “immediate notice” and arrest the culprits.
The Committee to Protect Journalists Asia condemning the attacks said: “No journalist should have to suffer this kind of abuse for doing their job.”
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