South Africa: CFWIJ Denounces Troll Campaign Against Ferial Haffajee and Others
Targeted by disinformation campaign linked to Gupta family, Haffajee's story highlights urgent need for stronger protections for press
Location: South Africa
Date: July 3, 2017
The Coalition For Women In Journalism unequivocally condemns the troll campaign linked to the White Monopoly Capital targeting respected journalist Ferial Haffajee and others following their investigative reports on the Gupta family's alleged corrupt relationship with President Zuma in South Africa. These attacks were deeply personal, with unauthorized and offensive use of their images, including superimposing Haffajee's face onto sexualized photos. Disinformation campaigns and attacks on journalists are pervasive tools used to silence truth and hinder democracy. The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Ferial Haffajee and calls for urgent and robust actions from authorities, including implementing and enforcing stringent laws to protect journalists from online harassment and targeted disinformation campaigns. This includes holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.
“(We were) targeted and attacked by the dark ops part of the campaign, which spewed out the white monopoly capital campaign that rode on the coat-tails of legitimate demands for social justice, but served only to provide cover for their clients' looting,” writes Ferial Haffajee, who together with Peter Bruce, Adriaan Basson, and others, were targetted by a troll campaign on Twitter linked to the White Monopoly Capital (WMC) narrative.
This campaign followed their critical investigative reports about the Gupta family — wealthy Indian businessmen who moved to South Africa in 1993 — and their alleged corrupt relationship with President Zuma, particularly focusing on "state capture," where the Guptas were accused of using political connections to control state assets and influence ministerial appointments.
The Twitter campaign involved a barrage of tweets from bots, which offensively portrayed the journalists as biased, unethical, and purveyors of fake news, supposedly paid by their white employers to criticize the Guptas. The tweets included unauthorized and offensive use of their faces, with Haffajee's face being superimposed onto sexualized images.
Bell Pottinger had a global presence, earning substantial profits through manipulation, especially in countries with weak accountability, says Haffajee, which provided them with a sense of impunity. However, their tactics were quickly uncovered in South Africa by a vigilant media and dedicated internet sleuths.
“The excellent journalists who have found the stories in the #Guptaleaks emails put the brakes on Bell Pottinger's work here,” says Haffajee. “This is, after all, a country engaged in a fundamental joust with neocolonialism. And it is the country where the boys and girls from Bell Pottinger met their match.”
Ferial Haffajee's experience is a stark reminder of the lengths to which those threatened by journalistic integrity will go to silence truth-tellers. The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Haffajee and all journalists facing similar threats. We urge authorities to take decisive action to protect journalists and uphold the fundamental principles of a free and democratic society.
Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.