Woman journalist in Pakistan takes action against online harassment
Source: Global Voices
A war that began between the United States and Iran on February 28 led to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, brokered through mediation efforts by Pakistan. Islamabad invited both countries to engage in negotiations. Although the first round of talks, held in Islamabad from April 11 to 12, ended in a deadlock, discussions continued behind closed doors, away from media scrutiny. While political leaders sought a path toward peace, a female anchor from GTV News faced a separate struggle, becoming the target of online harassment and abusive commentary.
On April 11–12, media outlets from around the world gathered at the Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, located less than two kilometers from the venue where the official talks were taking place. As social media buzzed with commentary on logistical arrangements and even the branding of coffee for journalists, a photograph of Gharida Farooqi, anchorperson at GTV News, wearing a green cord-set suit, went viral—accompanied by derogatory remarks about her attire. Some accounts circulated morphed images of her, while others engaged in gender-based harassment and shared AI-generated videos of the anchor.
Gharida Farooqi, no stranger to online harassment, filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) soon after the images began circulating. At the same time, she quietly gathered evidence to help identify those responsible.
A war that began between the United States and Iran on February 28 led to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, brokered through mediation efforts by Pakistan. Islamabad invited both countries to engage in negotiations. Although the first round of talks, held in Islamabad from April 11 to 12, ended in a deadlock, discussions continued behind closed doors, away from media scrutiny. While political leaders sought a path toward peace, a female anchor from GTV News faced a separate struggle, becoming the target of online harassment and abusive commentary.
On April 11–12, media outlets from around the world gathered at the Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, located less than two kilometers from the venue where the official talks were taking place. As social media buzzed with commentary on logistical arrangements and even the branding of coffee for journalists, a photograph of Gharida Farooqi, anchorperson at GTV News, wearing a green cord-set suit, went viral—accompanied by derogatory remarks about her attire. Some accounts circulated morphed images of her, while others engaged in gender-based harassment and shared AI-generated videos of the anchor.
Gharida Farooqi, no stranger to online harassment, filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) soon after the images began circulating. At the same time, she quietly gathered evidence to help identify those responsible.