On Monday (31st August), former Newslaundry employee Priyanka Ishwari wrote a 30-tweet-long thread exposing its toxic work culture and the harassment meted out to her by ‘senior reporter’ Prateek Goyal.
Long Thread
— Priyanka Ishwari (@properpahari) August 30, 2026
This has not been easy to write. My stint at Newslaundry was one of the worst times of my life. I dreaded going to an office where so many times I would be the only woman working. Heck, the office I worked out of didn't even have a woman's washroom when I was there
She narrated, “For me, shit hit the fan when Newslaundry’s senior reporter Prateek Goyal screamed at me using the most degrading language on a call when I called him out on a work infraction (after a senior had asked me to). He could not tolerate that a woman editor could stand up for herself and push back. He lost it and forgot he was talking to a colleague. “Tu hai kaun?”, “Kabse dekh raha hun mein terko” this is how he spoke to me at the top of his voice.“
Ishwari highlighted how Prateek humiliated her despite being respectful towards him. “The entire incident had left me horrified. All of my eight-ten colleagues sitting around me could see that the call had left me shaken. It took me more than two days to not tremble from that intimidating call,” she added.
He could not tolerate that a woman editor could stand up for herself and push back. He lost it and forgot he was talking to a colleague. "Tu hai kaun?", "Kabse dekh raha hun mein terko" this is how he spoke to me at the top of his voice.
— Priyanka Ishwari (@properpahari) August 30, 2026
Priyanka Ishwari pointed out how the ‘senior reporter’ at Newslaundry remained unapologetic for his actions. She stated, “When a team senior asked Prateek to apologise to me he called me to justify ke “usko gussa kyun aaya”? When I told him that this did not sound like an apology, he said, “You think I am apologizing to you?”.
“When I informed my team senior, who had tried to get Prateek to apologise to me but failed, about the editors’ response, she told me that it wasn’t surprising that no action was taken against Prateek. “He is the editors’ blue-eyed boy,” she had sighed,” Ishwari emphasised.
The former Newslaundry employee highlighted how no action was taken against Prateek Goyal for his toxic behaviour despite the victim narrating her ordeal to senior editors, including the founder of the organisation.
When I informed my team senior, who had tried to get Prateek to apologise to me but failed, about the editors' response, she told me that it wasn't surprising that no action was taken against Prateek. "He is the editors' blue-eyed boy," she had sighed.
— Priyanka Ishwari (@properpahari) August 30, 2026
Priyanka Ishwari, through her tweet, gave us a sneak peek into the culture of Newslaundry and how the rot begins from the top. During her conversation with the company’s founder, Abhinandan Sekhri, it became crystal clear.
She stated, “He said that women from metropolitan cities may not always like the behaviour of men from small towns and middle-class upbringing. I don’t know what that meant…I once saw Abhinandan berate an intern for ten minutes while I was having lunch. In front of 3 other people, he had screamed at the intern, “You will be nothing in life.” “Your generation wants everything but doesn’t want to do any work,” he yelled.”
“Now that I think about it, it wasn’t unnatural for a male reporter to scream at and intimidate a woman editor the way Prateek did without any repercussions or at least an apology at a place like Newslaundry. From what I had seen and heard from colleagues, things could be worse,” she further emphasised.
Now that I think about it, it wasn't unnatural for a male reporter to scream at and intimidate a woman editor the way Prateek did without any repercussions or at least an apology at a place like Newslaundry. From what I had seen and heard from colleagues, things could be worse.
— Priyanka Ishwari (@properpahari) August 30, 2026
The former Newslaundry employee also flagged the male chauvinism and toxicity that defined the leftist rag, Newslaundry. She pointed out how current members of the team are busy negating the lived experiences of victims such as her.
“A male reporter once asked that no female producer be sent with him for shooting video reports. Two male colleagues had told me the concerned department head had given into the demand. It stopped later, but no senior editor ever questioned the reporter over this outrageous ask. So it was not really shocking to see that after former employees started speaking up about their experiences, Newslaundry called them “unsubstantiated” and “fictitious”. Mails, meeting with the founder, in-person acknowledgement meant nothing to them,” she added.
So it was not really shocking to see that after former employees started speaking up about their experiences, Newslaundry called them "unsubstantiated" and "fictitious". Mails, meeting with the founder, in-person acknowledgement meant nothing to them.
— Priyanka Ishwari (@properpahari) August 30, 2026
While Priyanka Ishwari had left Newslaundry, Prateek Goyal (who harassed her) continues to work at the organisation.
“It is no wonder that Prateek goes around calling me a liar and is “Proud” to be a part of Newslaundry. Not surprised that the NL team platforms accounts calling former colleagues “politically motivated” while some of us still await a simple “Sorry”. The organisation doesn’t even have a single HR person even when employees, mostly women who were far lesser in number, would routinely reach out to the editors about some or the other complaint about someone’s behaviour at the workplace,” the victim said.
The organisation doesn't even have a single HR person even when employees, mostly women who were far lesser in number, would routinely reach out to the editors about some or the other complaint about someone's behaviour at the workplace.
— Priyanka Ishwari (@properpahari) August 30, 2026
While highlighting the Tarun Tejpal case, she concluded, “Newslaundry’s statements, their actions, nothing point to the organisation’s sincere intent to look inwards and introspect. All their statements reek of arrogance. They are always pointing fingers at others while the effort to self-examine is never heartfelt.All this makes me wonder if Newslaundry would have taken down that horrible rape apology, which it platformed for more 12 years, if Tejpal was acquitted. Would they be okay with shaming a rape complainant if the court found the accused not guilty? Sad to think they would be.“
The development comes a month after other former Newslaundry employees exposed the culture of toxicity and sexual harassment.
Prateek Goyal, who has now been called out for harassing his female co-worker, had previously attempted to defame OpIndia.
