Vidya Krishnan
Vidya Krishnan is a health-focused Indian investigative journalist and author, based in Montreal.[1]She comes from a Tamil brahmin family[2]
Vidya Krishnan | |
---|---|
Nationality | Indian |
Alma mater | Harvard University Oxford University McGill University |
Occupation | Investigative Journalist, author |
Known for | COVID-19 reporting |
Notable work | Phantom Plague (2022 book) |
Krishnan reported that she was the survivor of sexual harassment at India Today in 2018 and received online abuse and death threats due to her reporting about the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.[3][4]
She is the author of Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped our History.[5]
Career
Krishnan started her career in 2003 at The Pioneer newspaper.[6] As a freelance journalist, she regularly writes for Foreign Policy,[7] The Caravan,[8] and The Atlantic,[9][10] and was previously the health editor for The Hindu.[1]
She has reported on issues including the Rohingya genocide, tuberculosis, the right to health movement, and ethical standards in Indian clinical trials of pharmaceutical drugs.[11][12]
In 2018, she accused the Executive Editor of India Today of sexual harassment while she was a trainee journalists in 2003.[6][13][14][3]
In 2020, after years of health reporting, Krishnan stated that she faced a significantly high level of online harassment while reporting on COVID-19[1] including receiving death threats.[15]
Throughout 2021, Krishnan was critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[4][16] She spoke about how the pandemic is disproportionally affecting poor people, and that the response is not led by scientists.[17][18][19][20]
In November 2021, Krishnan criticized Shashi Tharoor for posting a Tweet talking about the appearance of six female members of the Indian parliament.[21]
Krishnan delivered the Dr C.V.S. Sarma Memorial Lecture at the University of Hyderabad in November 2021, titled Science Denialism & Democracy.[22]
Selected publications
- Vidya Krishnan, 2022, Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped our History, PublicAffairs, ISBN 9781541768468[5][23]
Awards
Krishnan won a Nieman Fellowship from Harvard University to study the impact of behavioral economics on antibiotic use, with a specific focus on self-medication and antibiotic resistance.[12]
In 2017, she received the International Health Media Fellowships award.[24] She has won the Oxford University's global health journalism fellowship, a National Press Foundation fellowship, and McGill University's global health media scholarship.[25]
References
- "Indian journalist Vidya Krishnan on navigating harassment and government obstruction while covering COVID-19". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- @VidyaKrishnan (23 February 2022). "I'm come from a Tamil-Brahmin family like this lady's & have privilege blind elder family members who say unacceptable stuff like this w/o being challenged by younger family members. Caste supremacy is an abominable doctrine. Brahmins need to be called out every.single.time" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 April 2022 – via Twitter.
- Desk, NH Web (2018-11-13). "#MeToo: India Today's Gaurav Sawant accused of sexual assault; he threatens legal action". National Herald. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- Danner, Chas (2021-05-02). "India Sees 400,000 New Cases in a Day: COVID-Crisis Updates". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- PHANTOM PLAGUE | Kirkus Reviews.
- Team, N. L. "India Today's Gaurav Sawant accused of sexual harassment". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- Krishnan, Vidya. "Vidya Krishnan". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- "Vidya Krishnan | The Caravan". caravanmagazine.in. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- "A devastating COVID surge takes a fresh toll on Indian journalism". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- "India cracks down on journalism, again". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- Mishra, Veerendra. Combating Human Trafficking: Gaps in Policy and Law. India: SAGE Publications, 2015.
- "Class of 2021". Nieman Foundation. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- "Not intimidated: Vidya Krishnan responds to Gaurav Sawant's defamation notice". The News Minute. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- "Not afraid of defamation threat: Vidya Krishnan on sex abuse charge against Gaurav Sawant". The Statesman. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- "India: PEN Delhi on the Importance of Press Freedom During Coronavirus – PEN Canada". pencanada.ca. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- "Analysis | The world finally woke up to India's virus nightmare". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- "Journalist Vidya Krishnan Details the Pandemic's Devastating Impact on India | KCM". Katie Couric Media. 2021-05-03. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- "In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt: A Sobering Reality in India (with Vidya Krishnan) on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- Gopalan, Aparna (2021-06-19). "India's Vaccine Makers Are Pandemic Profiteers, Not Humanitarians". The Intercept. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- Pal, Alasdair (2021-04-29). "As COVID-19 floods India's hospitals, the better-off also scramble for care". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- "Shashi Tharoor Tweet sparks row: Minister Apologises For "attractive" comment". Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- "Dr CVS Sarma Memorial Lecture - Science Denialism & Democracy - Vidya Krishnan". School and College Listings. 26 Nov 2011. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
- Mandavilli, Apoorva (2022-02-05). "Battling an Ancient Scourge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- "3 Indian journalists to get International Health Media Fellowship". Hindustan Times. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- "Vidya Krishnan". Asia Literary Agency. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2021-11-15.