On 24th March, it came to light that Hannah Ellis-Petersen, a journalist from The Guardian, has been attempting to contact Kajal Hindustani, a vocal Hindu activist, in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in India. Notably, Hannah is known for her intrusive and biased approach, especially when it comes to Hindus.
The attempts made by Hannah and her colleagues to contact Kajal for an interview sparked a backlash on social media platform X after the editor-in-chief of OpIndia, Nupur J Sharma, revealed what has been going on behind the curtains at Guardian.
Guardian seems to have bought into the illusion sold by Congress – That Hindus are divided and can be exploited. @ahmermkhan has been hounding @kajal_jaihind for an “interview” on behalf of Gaurdian. He claims two journalists – @HannahEP and @kyrievangelou – have flown to India…
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) March 24, 2024
Interestingly, Hannah claimed she wanted to hear all sides of her reports, a claim which does not hold a base if we look at her past reports on India and Hindus.
However, she was confronted with her old articles, showcasing how she was perhaps incapable of ‘hearing all sides’ because of her bias against Hindus and India.
Come on Hannah. @kajal_jaihind is a ground activist. You and I are journalists. Let’s not do this little dance of pretence. For you, Khalistani terrorists are “activists”, Hindu temples being reclaimed is anti-Muslim hate, Leicester was the Hindus’ fault, Majid is a hero. You’re… https://t.co/Dt0535mZNx pic.twitter.com/UsGss6VYdD
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) March 24, 2024
The Guardian has a past of playing the victim
This is not the first time The Guardian tried to play victim when caught lying through their teeth while reporting on Leicester violence where Hindus were under attack last year. In October 2022, The Guardian accused OpIndia of “attacking” their journalist, Aina J Khan. Editor-in-Chief of OpIndia, Nupur J Sharma, received an email from The Guardian asking us to stop online attacks against Aina J Khan via the publication and personal and official handles”.
According to them, we had no basis to call Aina an Islamist and Islamist, and our doing so had somehow put her in harm’s way. Interestingly, Sheila Pulham had sent the email, and Aina was not tagged in the email.
Notably, we did not call Aina an Islamist. We pointed out that her reportage seems one-sided and has zero evidence. There were several other falsities peddled by Ms Khan, including a strange tirade against RSS and Hindus. While Ms Aina wishes to brand all criticism as Islamophobia, she displayed her Hinduphobia when she claimed that her discussion got ‘heated’ when the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans were raised. She refers to Jai Shri Ram (Glory to Shri Ram) as a ‘Hindu chant appropriated by extremists in India’ and also alleges that Jai Shri Ram is now synonymous with anti-Muslim hatred.
The Guardian and Aina branded us as fascists, Hindus as extremists and Hindu religious chants as war cries. When countered, she cried Islamophobia, and The Guardian crawled behind her to apparently “save her”. Our Editor-in-Chief’s detailed reply to The Guardian can be checked here.
Netizens called out The Guardian
Mohandas Pai wrote, “Your lies,bias, Jihadi sympathies and fake narratives are well known Hannah Ellis-Petersen. You just report from your Delhi Lutyens echo chambers. Meet more people across India, report honestly. Peddling one sided narratives shows you up as a bad journalist at Guardian. Big Shame.”
Your lies,bias, Jihadi sympathies and fake narratives are well known. @HannahEP you just report from your Delhi Lutyens echo chambers. Meet more people across India, report honestly. Peddling one sided narratives shows you up as a bad journalist @guardian Big Shame https://t.co/O6ygvZV7VZ
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) March 25, 2024
Abhinav Agarwal said, “When caught, when called out, she takes refuge behind a “मैं कौन हूँ” charade. She’s out to gaslight, and she now knows others know it too. The contortions are comic.”
When caught, when called out, she takes refuge behind a “मैं कौन हूँ” charade.
— Abhinav Agarwal (@AbhinavAgarwal) March 24, 2024
She’s out to gaslight, and she now knows others know it too.
The contortions are comic. https://t.co/uQ9qBnKUa4
Pt Satish K Sharma wrote, “Presumably this ‘journalist’ will be able to park her colonialist confirmation biases, will be seeking to interview the Owaisis re their genocidal political campaigns .. perhaps the DMK cabal with their anti-Hindu ethnic cleansing speeches? Or will pigs fly and goats celebrate ‘religious’ festivals first? Countdown to a victimhood card commenced…”
Presumably this 'journalist' will be able to park her colonialist confirmation biases, will be seeking to interview the Owaisis re their genocidal political campaigns .. perhaps the DMK cabal with their anti-Hindu ethnic cleansing speeches? Or will pigs fly and goats celebrate… https://t.co/3O1XbrP4nL
— Pt Satish K Sharma MBCS FRSA (@thebritishhindu) March 24, 2024
Avatans Kumar wrote, “Guardian’s “South Asia” correspondent concerned about “both sides,” is laughable.”
Guardian’s “South Asia” correspondent concerned about “both sides,” is laughable. https://t.co/rRIDkkiY3P
— Avatans Kumar 🕉 (@avatans) March 24, 2024
Here is OpIndia helping them write their next tear-jerker
Given their history of playing victim, and since OpIndia seems to have stonewalled their shoddy attempt at publishing a hit-piece against Kajal Hindustani, we thought we could help Guardian with a potential article they could publish, blaming the big-bad ‘Hindu Nationalists’ for hounding their Hinduphobic, anti-India journalists.
The unseen toll of digital intimidation: How The Guardian journalist faced harassment in India
The Guardian correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen has become the latest victim of the alarming showcase of digital harassment as she faced an orchestrated online campaign. Ellis-Petersen reports from South Asia and has been instrumental in shedding light on the region’s politics and cultural complexities. Recently, she found herself at the centre of a social media campaign after she attempted to reach out to Kajan Hindustani, a prominent figure in the Hindu nationalist movement, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
The incident highlighted the growing trend of online harassment of journalists. It raised concerns about the freedom of the press and the safety of journalists working in difficult situations. Ellis-Petersen’s outreach was part of a standard journalistic practice to ensure balance and comprehensive reporting. However, she met with a barrage of targeted harassment from “Hindus”, accusing her of biased reporting. They also accused her of unjustly targeting Hindu nationalism.
The backlash Ellis-Petersen received is about more than just one journalist or one newspaper. It represents a broader challenge that the media personnel face today. Journalists have been exposed to unprecedented scrutiny and hostility in the digital age, often from anonymous sources. The campaign against our esteemed correspondent is a stark reminder of the rugged landscape journalists operate in. It is a definitive representation that the loud voices of intolerance and partisanship often drown out the efforts to present nuanced views.
The Guardian stands firmly with our correspondent and all journalists who face such unwarranted attacks. Despite the attacks and attempts to discredit our work, we are committed to impartial and fact-based journalism. It is now more than ever essential to recognise the critical role of journalism in a democratic society, especially when India, the world’s largest democracy, is moving towards autocracy and authoritarianism.
As India is gearing up for the Lok Sabha Elections, the significance of free and fair journalism has increased exponentially. At The Guardian, we remain dedicated to providing comprehensive and unbiased coverage of the elections. In the face of adversity, we reaffirm our commitment to fearless journalism. We call on the digital community and authorities to stand against online harassment and support the right of journalists worldwide to report without fear of backlash and threats.
