JOIN USEditors Guild calls for extra care in investigative journalism
The Editors Guild of India on Friday said it is withdrawing parts of a statement it had issued earlier this year that had expressed deep concern about the online harassment and targeting of women journalists.
In its January 11, 2022 statement, the Guild had, amongst other instances, also referred to a series of reports carried by The Wire, a news and opinion website, on an app called 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," it said.
"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 said.
"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 emphasises 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," it said in the statement issued on Friday.
The Editors Guild, an independent watchdog, was founded in 1978 with the twin objectives of protecting press freedom and raising the standards of editorial leadership of newspapers and magazines.