National Press Club statement on the continued online harassment of Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui

WASHINGTON, June 28 – Following is a statement from Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, on the continued online harassment of Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui. “We condemn in the strongest terms the continued online harassment and trolling of Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui, who was simply doing her job when she posed this question on June 22 to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference with President Joe Biden:

“There are many human rights groups who say your government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence its critics. … As you stand here in the East Room of the White House, where so many world leaders have made commitments to protecting democracy, what steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country, and to uphold free speech?”

“Sabrina was simply doing her job — asking an elected leader a question about the consequences of the policies of their government and their plans for future actions. People who believe questions like this are not valid, do not understand how democracy works. People who believe it is acceptable to target journalists with harassment or trolling are, at a minimum, the worst kind of bully. We stand with Sabrina and all journalists like her as they do their jobs, which are vitally important if democracies are to have informed citizenry.”

“The National Press Club and National Press Club Journalism Institute support the swift condemnation issued against these acts by the White House, the White House Correspondents’ Association, the Wall Street Journal, the South Asian Journalists Association and others. Journalists must be able to do their jobs without the added worries of malicious harassment.”

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world’s leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged, global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with the skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. The NPCJI is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club.

Contact: Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, at [email protected]