HT Senior Editor Quits As Focus Turns On Newsroom

The #MeToo allegations have claimed the first casualty among media professionals. Politics Editor and Delhi Chief of Bureau of the Hindustan Times, Prashant Jha, has resigned from both positions, after allegations surfaced of him sending inappropriate messages to at least one other journalist.

Jha was quoted by NDTV as saying in his letter to the editor, “There have been specific allegations against me – and my personal conduct – recently, which have raised moral questions about my conduct. In this backdrop, I believe it would be best for me to step down…” A former Hindustan Times correspondent, Avantika Mehta, had accused Jha of harassment. She posted screenshots of Whatsapp conversations between her and Jha on Twitter.

The resignation came even as journalist Sidharth Bhatia issued a statement rubbishing charges against him. Bhatia, a founder Editor of The Wire, said in his statement that he could not recall either the two women who had made the allegations or the incident they had mentioned, reports IANS.Women journalists have taken to the social media with their accounts of harassment inside and outside the newsrooms and some of them have posted snapshots of Whatsapp chats using MeToo hashtag.

Several other allegations against senior journalists were made on the social media. Former DNA Editor-in-Chief Gautam Adhikari and TOI’s Hyderabad Resident Editor K.R. Sreenivas also rubbished allegations against them. Allegations have also been made against Mayank Jain of Business Standard, adds IANS. Dinesh Mittal, Group general counsel HT media said that a sexual harassment committee was looking into the allegations made against Jha by a former colleague.

“I forcefully deny the allegations,” he said, adding that if the complainant comes up with further details, he was prepared to face an inquiry. Meanwhile, the Network of Women in Media in India (NWMI), an organisation comprising women journalists, condemned “the rampant sexism and misogyny in Indian newsrooms” and demanded media organisations probe allegations and take appropriate actions.