Network of women in media in India releases comprehensive guidelines to combat toxic work environments in Indian newsrooms

The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), a major network of women journalists in the country, on August 16 released a set of guidelines aimed at creating safer and fairer newsrooms, highlighting persistent issues of toxicity and unfair practices in the country's media industry.

NWMI, a 22-year-old collective of female media professionals, developed the guidelines after nearly 20 weeks of discussions among its 800 members. The move came in response to reports that at least three female journalists died earlier this year, allegedly due to health and stress-related reasons.

“The open secret of the Indian media industry is that many newsrooms are toxic,” the NWMI report said. “Abusive and unacceptable behavior is passed down from media owners and editors to superiors, juniors, interns and freelancers.”

The guidelines, released on Independence Day, cover a wide range of issues including working hours, salaries, leave policies, harassment and discrimination. They call for compliance with legally mandated working hours, fair remuneration and transparent performance appraisal processes.

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“As media professionals, we expect our colleagues and managers to treat us with respect and dignity,” the NWMI stated. “We expect our employers to look after our well-being by implementing policies and processes that ensure we have access to a living wage, a safe and comfortable work environment, and a healthy work-life balance.”

The NWMI report details the various forms of misconduct that are widespread in Indian newsrooms, including public humiliation, abusive language and discriminatory behaviour based on gender, caste, sexual orientation and disability.

“Caste mentality persists in many Indian newsrooms, as it does in the rest of society,” the report says, citing cases where journalists were asked for their last name during interviews, which often indicates their caste affiliation.

The guidelines also address the challenges faced by women, LGBTQIA+ people and people with disabilities in the media industry, calling for policies that meet diverse needs and create more inclusive environments.

“LGBTQIA+ people report that they cannot be themselves in most newsrooms because pervasive queerphobia and transphobia go unpunished in media organizations,” the NWMI said.

The network stressed the importance of professional human resources management and pointed out that many of the current practices in newsrooms would be considered unacceptable in other industries.

“In most other industries – both in India and elsewhere in the world – such behaviour would be considered unprofessional and unacceptable and would result in disciplinary action in many companies,” the report said.

The guidelines also address the precarious state of journalism in India, pointing to the weakening of journalists' rights in the wake of new labour laws and the erosion of the wage committee system.

“With the weakening of journalists’ rights under new labour laws, the erosion of the wage committee system and the resulting lack of job security, journalism has become increasingly precarious,” the NWMI said.

The network called on media companies to look inward and improve the working conditions of their employees, arguing that this was essential to preserving the democratic role of the press.

“While journalists continue to question and investigate working conditions in other industries, it is time for media houses to look inward and improve the working conditions of their own employees,” the NWMI said.

The publication of these guidelines comes at a time when the Indian media industry is facing numerous challenges, including financial pressures, political interference and the rapid development of digital platforms.

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Media experts say the NWMI's initiative could spark a much-needed discussion about the work culture in Indian journalism.

“These guidelines shed light on problems that have been brewing for years,” says Rajesh Kumar, a Mumbai-based media analyst. “The challenge now is to see how many organizations will actually implement these recommendations.”

The NWMI has called on media houses to publish annual reports with anonymized data on measures to improve workplace safety as well as on reported and resolved cases.

As Indian media grapples with these internal challenges, the NWMI's guidelines serve as a reminder that reforms are needed within an industry tasked with holding others accountable.

“Recognizing and protecting the rights of journalists as human beings and as media professionals is essential if they are to play an effective role in promoting the democratic rights of their fellow citizens, including the public’s right to information,” the NWMI concluded.