JNU student Shehla Rashid, who also doubles up as freelance protestor in her free time, “showed Republic TV their place” and “threw them out” at a protest meet held after journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder.
@Shehla_Rashid shows @republic their place, throws them out, Wow!
These #Sanghi stooges should be thrown out of every meeting/gathering. pic.twitter.com/xz5S1UQGsz— NostradamusSezشاہد (@nostradamuspeak) September 6, 2017
Shehla, who also champions freedom of press when she could take time out of her protesting assignments, was outside Press Club where she thrashed a journalist for covering the meet on Lankesh’s murder. Here it is important to note that Shehla is neither a journalist nor a representative of the Press Club to ask a journalist to leave the premises.
Initially, she was hailed for her ‘bravery’ by the media persons.
Just like smoking causes lung cancer, @republic causes mind cancer. https://t.co/0qfTEu2bcb
— Mirchi Sayema (@MirchiSayema) September 7, 2017
More power to journalism. More power to people like @Shehla_Rashid. https://t.co/NSe0u3Iugn
— Deepal Trivedi (@DeepalMirror) September 7, 2017
However, the journalists started calling her out on her behaviour. Even the left, left-liberal ones, who don’t particularly agree to Republic TV’s way of working.
Humiliating reporters a shame, that too on pretext of protecting liberal ideas. PCI musn’t let activists throw out reporters doing their job https://t.co/rLet4pfQjH
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) September 7, 2017
I really don’t think this is anyway to speak to a reporter who was only doing his job. Imagine if a rightwinger had done this to say NDTV? https://t.co/SFqPUtvwwf
— Brown Sahiba (@Rajyasree) September 7, 2017
Attacking a reporter, @sneheshphilip in this case, proves nothing, let alone deciding on whether the act deserves to be applauded. Sorry! https://t.co/pgJTpGS9FI
— Abhishek Dey (@abhishekdey04) September 6, 2017
Shaming my former colleague @sneheshphilip was not cool. He was doing his job as a reporter.
— Abhishek Dey (@abhishekdey04) September 6, 2017
If you’re a journalist and you think what she did was right, you just don’t understand what the fight is all about. https://t.co/8dgsT5ZZtk
— Arunabh Saikia (@psychia90) September 7, 2017
Some even tried to defend Shehla’s stunt by saying how it is her prerogative who she wants to talk to
He wasn’t misbehaving, yet she heckled him. Think such behaviour just gives ammunition to people who think it’s ok to intimidate reporters.
— Arunabh Saikia (@psychia90) September 8, 2017
However, more and more support poured in from the media fraternity for Republic TV journalist, who was just doing his job of reporting an event.
people are free to say what they want about @republic, but they are not free to stop them from covering a public protest https://t.co/XCGidwHr5c
— Hartosh Singh Bal (@HartoshSinghBal) September 8, 2017
How pathetic! Left politicians hijacked Press Club media protest against #GauriLankesh‘s murder & then @Shehla_Rashid insulted a journo too. https://t.co/n4j3mzaROs
— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) September 8, 2017
Sorry @Shehla_Rashid. I don’t agree. All opinions must be engaged with. That’s who we are. And what we stand for. https://t.co/B5Xtr6XJIP
— Vaishna Roy (@vaishnaroy) September 8, 2017
बोलने की असीमित आज़ादी माँगने वाले सुनने की आज़ादी भी छीनना चाहते हैं….!!!!!
न खाता, न बही….जो वामपंथी चाहें वो सही? https://t.co/4XUy68T29G— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) September 8, 2017
Shehla then tried to defend her bullying a reporter by saying how Republic TV is a “platform for bullying”
Republic TV is a platform for bullying of anti govt voices, making them targets for hate crimes, identifying them for hate speech & murder. pic.twitter.com/gxE0HHiVUO
— Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) September 7, 2017
Irony just became a PhD research scholar to waste tax payers’ money for a couple of more decades.
