When a Self-Proclaimed “Media Watchdog” Refuses to Watch Out Itself: Senior Journalists and Ex-Employees Reveal Newslaundry’s Toxic Work Culture

NEWSLAUNDRY has often branded itself as an organization that holds other media outlets accountable. It has repeatedly raised questions about the ethics and practices of different newsrooms, positioning itself as a watchdog of the Indian media. However, a recent flurry of allegations raised against the digital media outlet has now put the self-proclaimed watchdog under the lens.

The controversy began after a 2014 open letter defending former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal resurfaced online after the Bombay High Court convicted him of rape and other criminal charges. The letter, directly addressed to the assault victim, had questioned her account of events and described her as the flagpole of “bubblegum feminism." After the online backlash following the High Court’s verdict, the article written by Nirupama Sekhri, sister of the Newslaundry CEO Abhinandan Sekhri, was subsequently taken down and replaced with an editorial note instead.

However, it didn’t end the controversy. In a recent development, former employees and journalists who had worked with Newslaundry began sharing their own experiences, raising questions about the organization’s work culture. From abusive language of seniors to personal attacks against women journalists to unresolved questions around sexual-harassment complaints, the allegations leveled against the “media watchdog” has turned heads of the public and official women commission as well.

DCW Takes Cognizance of Former Employees Raising Sexual-Harassment Complaints

Former Newslaundry employees have raised questions about the organization’s internal handling of workplace complaints. Sumedha, a journalist for The Reporter’s Collective, who previously worked at Newslaundry, responded to the removal of 2014 letter to Tejpal’s victim on X. She wrote that her former employers should “reflect just as seriously on the sexual harassment complaints within their own newsroom."

She further shared her fellow journalists' posts alleging “mental and sexual harassment” within the organization. Sumedha replied to one of them, writing, “I just wish all of us had spoken up before.”

More female journalists, who used to work for Newslaundry, replied to Sumedha's post. Priya Jain, who, according to her LinkedIn profile, used to work as Sub Editor in the organization till June 2026, was one of those voices who wrote about how the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) was not taken seriously. She writes, "ICC committee is taken so lightly. 2 people from ICC committee left, but we were never informed about its reshuffling process, and who replaced these people."

Other former employees, Nikita Singh, Priyanka Ishwari, and Ishita Pradeep raised similar concerns about gender sensitivity and the "boy's locker room" mentality of the newsroom. It is important to note that none of the the women explicitly claimed that they were victims of sexual harassment, but does call out senior journalists and male reporters in the company behaving rudely towards them.

According to reports, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has taken cognizance of these allegations raised by former female employees. DCW Chairperson Lata Gupta confirmed this to Storyboard18, saying that the women commission has initiated a preliminary examination of the allegations and is gathering information before taking further steps. "We are discussing and looking into the matter since the matter is very sensitive," Gupta told Storyboard18.

See Also: After Newslaundry, More Notable Voices Forced to Eat Words: How Bollywood Lobby and Journalist Vinod Mehta Defended Rape Convict Tarun Tejpal

Newslaundry Trainee Fled From Toxic Workplace Environment

Another account came from Sayantan Ghosh, who joined Newslaundry as a trainee journalist in 2016, in a detailed post on X. He had recently graduated from college and was working as a content writer in Bengaluru when he accepted an unpaid internship with the digital media outlet. His expectation was that good performance could eventually lead to a paid position down the line.

He later moved to Delhi, expecting to work in an independent newsroom. Instead, he said, he found an “extremely toxic” environment.

According to Ghosh, the language used by Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri towards employees was “deeply hurtful.” He said colleagues told him that this was “normal” in the media and this is simply how newsrooms worked. Instead of calling out the toxic behaviour, Ghosh was allegedly told to develop a thick skin.

However, he did not accept that explanation. The Kolkata journo compared his experience with his earlier internships at The New Indian Express in Bengaluru and The Telegraph in Kolkata, saying editors there treated interns with basic courtesy.

Ghosh recalled one particularly harsh episode after he worked on a story related to Section 66A. He alleged that the verbal abuse became so severe that he lied to the person he was reporting to and left the workplace. He eventually returned to Kolkata after his parents arranged a train ticket.

Ghosh said he had thought about speaking about the experience several times but remained silent because he questioned whether he was simply being “too sensitive” and also feared intimidation.

The current controversy surrounding Newslaundry, he said, finally pushed him to speak. The author wrote on X, “I knew how people could be bullied and intimidated, and for a long time I doubted myself. I questioned whether I was being too sensitive, whether this really was “normal”, whether I simply did not understand how the media worked. Today, as many people are talking I think it was important for me to speak up. I am speaking only about what I experienced [...] But I think I should have spoken about this much earlier.”

Journalist Claims Newslaundry Attacked Her in a “Misogynistic” Hindi Editorial

One of the most detailed accounts has come from journalist Jyoti Yadav, currently working with ThePrint. In a series of Instagram stories, she recalled an incident from 2019, when she was a “25-year-old cub reporter, barely starting out.” She had pitched a story looking at how mainstream media was obsessing over Narendra Modi’s carefully constructed image as a patriarch, including references to his “56-inch chest.” A similar story, she claims, was done by Manisha Pande, host of Newslaundry’s popular show TV Newsance.

According to Yadav, Newslaundry’s Hindi editor responded to her story by commissioning a piece that she described as “misogynistic, sexist, and personally attacking” towards her. She alleged that a Facebook troll was then used to “hound” her through phone calls. When she finally answered one of the calls, she said she made it clear that she was not interested in speaking. The eventual Newslaundry article, according to Yadav, misquoted her and carried a Hindi headline that loosely translated to “ThePrint Makes Reporter’s Fantasy a Headline.”

See Also: Delhi Court Stays FIR Order Against Abhijit Iyer-Mitra Over His 'Prostitute' Remarks on Newslaundry Journalists, Says His Posts Were in Shayari Format

Yadav said she objected to the article but was particularly disturbed that the editor had not contacted her to verify the quotes attributed to her. She wrote on Instagram, “He didn’t even bother to ask me if the quotes attributed to me were correct despite me being one of their contributors.”

The 2014 Tejpal letter has brought back the same concerns for ThePrint reporter, who wrote, “When I read their attacking piece on Tejpal’s victim, I clearly see a pattern. The boys locker room mindset running the newsrooms.”

She also questioned how an organization that frequently speaks against misogyny could itself create a hostile environment for women. “You want to drag out right-wingers to court on misogyny, while your own misogyny goes unchecked? You feel entitled and powerful enough to call headlines given by editors a woman reporter’s ‘fantasy’?” Yadav wrote on Instagram.

She ended her string of stories questioning how long such behaviour could continue “under the guise of ‘speaking against a regime.’”

Anyone With a God Complex Will Be Cut to Size: Barkha Dutt on Newslaundry Controversy

Senior journalist Barkha Dutt also weighed in on the controversy on X, framing it as a larger question of humility and accountability in journalism. She argued that the problem begins when a newsroom starts believing it is so morally superior to others that it can become a “preacher & pulpit, doing long pieces on other newsrooms, based on exactly the sort of testimonies (often unnamed) that are now challenging you.”

She continued, “Anyone with a god complex will invariably be cut to size. This has literally nothing to do with media wars, or BJP vs Opposition. It’s the oldest proverb we learnt in nursery - those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others.”

Dutt added that remembering every newsroom is imperfect could go a long way in preventing arrogance and what she described as “humbug”.

In a separate post, she also pointed towards a Newslaundry column on consent which, according to her, contained a “bizarre reference” to “happily married rapists and victims.”

Although there is no verification of the allegations levelled against the media organization, the number of former employees now speaking about their experiences has created a difficult question for Newslaundry. The controversy is no longer only about a decade-old letter defending Tarun Tejpal as a similar pattern of behavior has been reported by journalists.

Newslaundry's Response to Harassment Allegations

According to Storyboard18, Abhinandan Sekhri, one of co-founders and CEO of Newslaundry, didn't respond to its queries. Manisha Pande, Editor-in-Chief of the digital media outlet, did respond to the allegations and presented a counter narrative, claiming the internal committee has acted on all the complaints it had received.

Pande told Storyboard18, "Over the years, Newslaundry's workplace harassment committee has addressed all complaints of workplace harassment it has received, resulting in dismissals and suspensions where warranted. None of these complaints were against the CEO of Newslaundry. I have seen the comments on social media from former colleagues and have already reached out to two of them who raised specific issues. The external member in the committee held a PoSH training program in November 2025."

(This is an updated version of the article.)

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