When army of trolls hits below the belt
THE THREAT OF ONLINE BULLYING AND REAL-WORLD VIOLENCE CASTS A DARK SHADOW OVER JOURNALISTS ON THE GROUND
Atsunami of vitriol is being spewed in cyber space. Like battery acid it burns and scars. And sometimes, like acid, it dissolves everything.
The threat of online abuse and bullying, or trolling, and realworld violence has cast a dark shadow over reporters on the ground in India.
For those who choose to raise issues pertinent to the citizens of the country but unpopular with the government in power, the job comes at a steep cost. If you raise an issue, you are trolled. Your mother, father, children are abused in the vilest language. Within minutes, hundreds and thousands descend on your social media timeline threatening you with the most severe consequences. Senior journalist Swati Chaturvedi, whose 2016 book, I Am A Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army, dissects the strategy of the aggressors. She says: “In India if you take a view contrary to what the government is you get attacked very fiercely.”
And there’s no way to tell if the rapier’s jab comes from humans or from automations. “[There are] a lot of bots and paid handles,” Chaturvedi says.
In 2013, when the awardwinning journalist joined social media, she was taken aback at the hate speak – and very, very curious. “I found out that most of my premises were true. It [the abuse] was paid-for, it was a particular group.”
Coping with vile comments became easier. Unfortunately, it’s not just about words; mob mentality trickles from the internet arena into everyday life. Social media, including WhatsApp, are used to incite violence against people and groups (remember the cow lynchings/ so-called child-abductor beatings?).
Is it so far-fetched to think that it would also affect the lives of press members? “Increasingly, in India telling the truth means risking your life,” says journalist Sagarika Ghose. She recalls the murder of peer Gauri Lankesh, who was gunned down last year as she returned home. While the world read dumbfounded about the hit, Ghose was spurred into action. “I filed FIRs because I was scared.” she recalls. “I face exactly the same thing.”
Ghose and fellow journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, trace the change in media pressure to the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. “I have no doubt that 2002 was the turning point. It was the first communal riots in the age of television. And the man who was at the centre of it is now the prime minister of the country. I think that has polarised public opinion,” says Sardesai. He says he’s still being judged by how he reported the event all those years ago.
“Journalists have shown that they are ready to fight,” Sardesai says.
Besides, “I think if you have a story to tell, there will be somebody out there wanting to read it,” says Sardesai.