Columnist under fire for tweet on activist Soni Sori
February 23, 2016 11:40
On Monday, columnist Rupa Subramanya posted a tweet, since deleted following a barrage of criticism and abuse, questioning the authenticity of the photograph of activist Soni Sori.
Her Twitter bio, incidentally, identifies her as 'columnist@foreignpolicy'.
Foreign Policy magazine has since issued this statement: 'A recent tweet by a freelance contributor to Foreign Policy, Rupa Subramanya, questioning the authenticity of a photograph of Aam Aadmi Party member Soni Sori -- the apparent victim of an acid-like attack on Saturday, Feb 20 -- has been brought to our attention. Foreign Policy disavows any association with this comment and is currently investigating the matter.'
Subramanya has also put up a lengthy post on her Facebook page explaining her action:
'1. Yesterday I sent out a tweet trying to make a serious point about a complex issue, linked to the alleged attack on Adivasi activist and Aam Aadmi Party politician, Soni Sori.
'2. Even for someone who enjoys the cut and thrust of Twitter, I was shocked and dismayed by the response, much of which has wilfully mischaracterised my intentions and my statement.
'3. Still, I wanted to say that I am sorry for any offence caused by the tweet and the image to which I was reacting. I am therefore deleting the tweet. In retrospect, it was not the best way to make the point I was trying to make. That point was simply to question the authenticity of one of the two images in the tweet to which I was reacting. However, the way in which I chose to do that was open to misunderstanding and misrepresentation.
'4. Anyone who knows me or just my work or even just my activity on Twitter, knows that I am 100 per cent against racism, bigotry, sexism, and hateful prejudice of any kind. Indeed, I often call out such prejudice loudly and publicly. In particular, in the context of Soni Sori, I condemn violence against women in all of its forms.
'5. I support the rights of Adivasis and all disadvantaged groups in our society. I find the attack on Soni Sori to be abhorrent, and, as noted above, was simply trying to highlight legitimate issues about the authenticity of part of a widely shared image, as others have also done. Those who know my work or even my activity on Twitter, know that the tweet in question was entirely in keeping with my overall philosophy of asking difficult questions where I believe that is required. However, as noted above, in retrospect, I could have made that point in a better way which would not be prone to misunderstanding and mischaracterisation. Let me reiterate my apology for any hurt that the tweet has inadvertently caused.
'6. In the past twenty four hours or so since sending out the tweet, I have been inundated with racist, sexist, and other forms of vile and hateful abuse. Even so, I will continue to tweet and make my point of view on Twitter, and will not be intimidated by such abuse.'
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances