China: Mistreatment of foreign journalists continue with the state doxxing Megha Rajagoapalan
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September, 30, 2020, Shanghai, China -- American reporter for Buzzfeed News, and member of The Coalition For Women In Journalism, Megha Rajagoapalan has become the latest foreign journalist to be victimised by China, which has a history of retaliating against news organizations and individual journalists for critical coverage.
The original tweet has been taken down, but there are copycats already posting the same info (I am not including the photo, which includes a government ID number for me). @Twitter specifically bans this. pic.twitter.com/IISNULTKT3
— Megha Rajagopalan (@meghara) September 29, 2020
Megha’s work visa and accreditation was not extended as a retaliatory practice China uses against foreign journalists who are critical about the government. Megha has been covering exquisitely on the ill-treatment of Uighur citizens, documenting the atrocities committed against the minority Turkic-Muslim group. The journalist was forced out of China back in 2018 over her coverage on the same issue and went back to the country on a travel visa.
According to New York Times, Megha Rajagopalan was the first reporter for Buzzfeed permitted to work on a regular basis in China by the Foreign Ministry. The ministry and security agencies have traditionally not allowed online-only news publications to have reporters officially live in China.
Chinese government which rejected Megha’s visa application then went on with sharing her personal information online. Two years later, Megha is still getting targeted by trolls online due to the malicious act of the Chinese officials.
Foreign journalists in China are often threatened by both legal harassment and online attacks. The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces such practices and demands the authorities to act within reason in order to protect the already targeted freedom of the press in China.
