Mumbai-based journalist Rana Ayyub will now be a contributing writer in the Global Opinions section of The Washington Post, the newspaper said on Thursday. Ayyub will write about political affairs in India in the section.
Fred Hiatt, the newspaper’s editorial page editor, said Ayyub was a “fearless investigative journalist with years of experience reporting on politics and social issues in India” and would bring “unparalleled perspective” to the publication’s growing coverage of South Asia.
Indian journalist Barkha Dutt also contributes to the Global Opinions section.
Ayyub said she was thrilled to join The Washington Post as a contributing writer, adding: “Hope I can make a meaningful contribution to a newspaper with a legacy of speaking the uncomfortable truth.”
Rana Ayyub is a former investigative journalist from Tehelka and has written Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up, a book that investigates the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Ayyub has often been the target of hatred and abuse on social media platforms from Hindutva activists. In May 2018, the Office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner had called on Indian authorities to protect her after she got death threats following an online hate campaign. The UN body said Ayyub had faced backlash after a parody account on Twitter with a handle nearly identical to that of news channel Republic TV had published a tweet with a quote falsely attributed to Ayyub.
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