‘Attack on journalists on social media in T.N. illegal’

The targeted attack on a section of journalists in Tamil Nadu, particularly women journalists, on social media by ‘right wing extremists’ was blatantly illegal and warranted registration of criminal cases by the police, said N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Group of Publications, here on Wednesday.

In an online discussion organised by the Tamil Nadu Women Journalists’ Forum on ‘Journalists safety and tackling online intimidation,’ he stressed on the need for journalists to come together in defending media freedom and constitutional principles.

He said that though there were many good police officers, the police department as a whole had failed to take appropriate action on the complaints raised by women journalists.

He highlighted the necessity for engaging lawyers to take the fight forward on the legal front, taking it up directly with political leaders, and bringing out the issue factually and openly through mainstream media.

Political context

He said that the attacks have to be seen in the political context of the inability of the right wing forces to make inroads in Tamil Nadu, for which they perceive the professionalism of journalists here as a barrier.

Pointing out the attack on three journalists of a magazine in Delhi on Tuesday, he said that the situation in Tamil Nadu was not as worse and it it should be seen as an advantage that can be leveraged to protect journalists and media freedom. While social media can be a platform for providing a counter narrative to the attacks, he highlighted the need to be wary of the dangerous potential of social media.