Washington: The White House has denounced the alleged cyberbullying and intimidation of Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui. Siddiqui's question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week about the alleged discrimination against religious minorities in India sparked outrage among the PM's supporters, who support the PM's claim that such reports are motivated and exaggerated.
"We’re aware of the reports of that harassment. It’s unacceptable. We absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere under any circumstances," White House spokesperson John Kirby said in response to a question, even as cabinet ministers in India joined right wing trolls in attacking former President Barack Obama, who also appeared to criticise the PM on the issue.
"It's antithetical to the very principles of democracy that were on display last week during the state visit," Kirby added, as both Obama and Siddique were attacked and questioned about their lack of concern about discrimination against Hindu minorities in other countries, and the US' own record in the matter of human rights and civil liberties.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, joined the brawl and denounced "any efforts of intimidation or harassment of a journalist or any journalist that is just trying to do their job" as the weekend's heated social media discussions were sparked.
The Wall Street Journal also defended Siddiqui, saying she is a respected journalist known for her integrity and unbiased reporting. “This harassment of our reporter is unacceptable, and we strongly condemn it," the paper said.