Explained : Online harassment of women journalists intensifies in India: RSF and Its Impact

Online harassment campaigns targetting women journalists in India have intensified in recent years, raising serious concerns about press freedom and the safety of media professionals. The issue has drawn attention of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a Paris-based press freedom organisation, which has urged Indian authorities to take stronger legal action against gender-based online attacks that aim to intimidate and silence women reporters.

In a press statement, RSF says that the social media platforms have increasingly become tools for coordinated harassment. Women journalists who publish critical stories often face waves of abuse, threats and smear campaigns that spread rapidly across platforms. These attacks frequently include sexualised insults, rape threats and attempts to damage their credibility.

Also Read: RSF flags OpIndia for targetted online harassment of journalists

“Looking at the scale of what is happening in India, it is definitely unprecedented. You put out something, then from film actors, fan clubs, to political parties, to business people everybody has now gangs who organise themselves through either Telegram or WhatsApp and they just come and abuse you, there are 50 to 100 YouTube channels which are run by the same group of people, who will then amplify this, before the mainstream media picks up on the attack, after which it is impossible to contain,” says Dhanya Rajendran, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of the online media outlet the News Minute.

“When male journalists are attacked, often the accusations are that they are paid or they are corrupt. But when women journalists are targeted, immediately we are called sluts and prostitutes. And immediately there are rape threats that follow,” says Neha Dixit, a freelance journalist.

“RSF is concerned about the persistence of these online smear campaigns and sordid threats against women journalists by perpetrators who are never held to account. This total impunity undermines press freedom and endangers women media professionals. The Indian authorities must put an end to this and prosecute the perpetrators of these harassment campaigns and threats. It is essential that women journalists work without fear. Platforms must also fulfill their duty to moderate and combat anonymous threats and coordinated campaigns by implementing all measures to remove content and suspend accounts as required by applicable law,” says Célia Mercier, Head of RSF’s South Asia desk.

The organisation has also urged social media companies to strengthen moderation systems and act quickly against coordinated abuse, anonymous threats and harmful content targeting journalists.

Also Read: India’s ranking in 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index improves to 151

Muslim women journalists are particularly vulnerable to such attacks. RSF notes that columnist Rana Ayyub has faced repeated online harassment campaigns since 2024, while a Kashmiri freelance journalist Gafira Kadir has also recently been targetted.

The risks are not limited to online abuse. In 2017, journalist Gauri Lankesh of the publication Lankesh Patrike, who had previously faced sustained online harassment, was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru. The killing remains one of the most prominent cases highlighting threats faced by journalists in India, says RSF.

To help journalists respond to online attacks, RSF has shared a practical guide prepared by Women in Media on its “Resources for Journalists” platform. The guide outlines steps reporters can take in the first 24 hours after facing coordinated harassment online.

RSF says stronger enforcement of laws, accountability for perpetrators and better platform moderation are necessary to ensure women journalists in India can work without intimidation.

Célia Mercier

Dhanya Rajendran

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Gafira Kadir

Gauri lankesh

Lankesh Patrike

Neha Dixit

Rana Ayyub

RSF