'Unacceptable': White House condemns trolling of WSJ journalist for questioning PM Modi about rights (WATCH)

By Team Newsable | First Published Jun 27, 2023, 12:32 PM IST

We vehemently condemn any form of harassment directed towards journalists, regardless of the location or circumstances. Such actions stand in direct opposition to the fundamental principles of democracy, which were exemplified during the State Visit last week, spokesperson John Kirby said.

The United States has expressed its reservations over the manner in which Wall Street Journal journalist Sabrina Siddiqui who posed the question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on attacks on Muslims in India, has been subjected to intense online harassment. During the media briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby were asked about the 'intense online harassment from people inside India -- some of them are politicians with associations with the pro-Modi government'. The journalists also claimed that Sabrina was been targeting her because of her Muslim faith and questioning her own heritage.

Reacting to the claim, Kirby said: "We are aware of the reports of that harassment. It is unacceptable. And we absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere under any circumstances. That is completely unacceptable. And it is antithetical to the very principles of democracy that were on display last week during the State Visit."

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Asked whether President Joe Biden accepted Prime Minister Modi’s answer to Sabrina, Press Secretary Jean-Pierre walked a tightrope. Jean-Pierre said, "We were asked this question last week on Friday, and I think that is for the Prime Minister to answer and for all you all to critique or write about it. I’m not going to discuss that from here. What I know is that we are committed — we are certainly committed to the freedom of the press, which is why we held a press conference last Thursday, which is why we thought it was important for you all to be able to hear from both, not just from the President, but also from the Prime Minister, and for journalists to be able to ask a question."

Responding to Sabrina's question during the joint statement with President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Modi had said that in India’s democratic values, "there is absolutely no discrimination, neither on basis of caste, creed, or age or any kind of geographic location." He further said, "India is a democracy. And as President Biden also mentioned, in India and America both countries, democracy is in our DNA. Democracy is our spirit. Democracy runs in our veins. We live in democracy."

Following the media interaction, Siddiqui was targetted by many, especially on social media, claiming that she had an 'ulterior motive' behind posing the question to the Indian Prime Minister. Some users also attacked her Muslim identity.

The media fraternity across the world condemned the "assault on Press freedom." The South Asian Journalists Association took to Twitter to say, "We want to express our continued support of our colleague Sabrina Siddiqui who, like many South Asian and female journalists, is experiencing harassment for simply doing her job. Press freedom is the hallmark of any democracy and PM Modi leads the world's largest democracy."

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