Journalists such as Rajdeep Sardesai, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Mohammed Zubair, Ravish Kumar and Rana Ayyub were among the most frequently targeted, says the report
NEW DELHI — Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the international non-profit and non-governmental organisation that focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information, has accused OpIndia website of running a sustained and organised campaign against journalists in India.
The Paris-based organisation warned that the right-wing website content has directly contributed to online harassment, threats and serious safety risks for media professionals.
Between Oct 2023 and Sept 2025, OpIndia published 314 articles targeting journalists and media organisations, with 208 naming 134 journalists specifically. The RSF analysis found OpIndia’s articles use abusive language, calling journalists “anti-national”, “liars”, and “fake news peddlers,” media reports said on Thursday.
In 2025 alone, RSF recorded 91 OpIndia articles targeting journalists, with 43 focusing on just five journalists.
RSF said these attacks were often amplified by a small network of social media accounts circulating OpIndia’s content.
“OpIndia is a key player in the systematic harassment of journalists in India, putting them in real danger,” said RSF Editorial Director Anne Bocandé. Online harassment is one of the biggest threats to press freedom in India, she added.
RSF said journalists such as Rajdeep Sardesai, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Mohammed Zubair, Ravish Kumar and Rana Ayyub were among the most frequently targeted. Independent media organisations including The Wire, NewsClick and Newslaundry were also repeatedly attacked in similar ways.
Independent journalist Meer Faisal was also named in the RSF report. OpIndia published articles in June 2024 accusing him of spreading “fake information” and labelling him an “Islamist”, which triggered a wave of abuse against him online, the media watchdog said.
Speaking to RSF, Meer Faisal said he was called a terrorist, subjected to hateful messages and threats, and faced attempts to expose his personal details. He said the harassment felt “systematic” and was aimed at damaging his reputation and endangering his safety.
The press freedom watchdog noted that OpIndia’s hostile articles often spark coordinated harassment campaigns on the social media platform X. In several cases, RSF identified links between these attacks and groups connected to Hindu nationalist networks, where members openly call for journalists to be targeted and abused.
RSF also said foreign journalists have been targeted in a similar manner. Correspondents from international media organisations were accused of running “anti-India” or “anti-Hindu” campaigns, after which they faced waves of online harassment.
After RSF included OpIndia in its 2025 Press Freedom Predators list, the website responded by publishing a series of articles attacking RSF and falsely accusing the organisation of being part of international “regime change” conspiracies. RSF described these claims as baseless and dangerous, The Observer Post report said.
The organisation also raised concerns about OpIndia’s funding, noting that despite earlier advertiser boycotts, the site continues to earn revenue through Google AdSense. RSF said this was troubling because Google’s policies prohibit content that promotes hatred or discrimination.
RSF has called on Indian authorities to investigate cyber harassment campaigns linked to such publications and urged social media companies to act against abusive content. “Protecting journalists from online harassment is essential to defending press freedom in India,” Anne Bocandé was quoted as saying.
