Laid-off Washington Post journalist shuts down troll who asked her to ‘Go back to India’
Sabrina Malhi, previously a national health reporter at the Washington Post, faced online trolling after her layoff announcement.
The Washington Post laid off around one-third of its workforce on Wednesday, delivering a brutal blow to one of journalism’s most legendary brands. Several journalists took to social media to announce that they had been affected by job cuts at the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper.
Among them was Sabrina Malhi, whose layoff announcement sparked “Go back to India” comments from trolls. Malhi shut down one such troll in an epic fashion.
Laid-off WaPo journalist vs troll
“My heart is broken. I’m sitting here nursing my newborn baby and losing my ‘dream job’ at @washingtonpost is devastating,” Sabrina Malhi wrote in an X post dated February 4.
Before she was laid off, Malhi was the national health reporter at the Washington Post, where she focused on infant and maternal health. She was born and raised in New York and is an American citizen. Malhi grew up in an Indo-Caribbean household in a family that traces its roots to Guyana — a South American country with a large Indian-origin population.
Malhi’s American citizenship did not prevent a section of the internet from asking her to “Go back to India”.
{{/usCountry}}Malhi’s American citizenship did not prevent a section of the internet from asking her to “Go back to India”.
{{/usCountry}}“Go back to India,” read one comment under Malhi’s post announcing her position being made redundant at the Washington Post.
{{/usCountry}}“Go back to India,” read one comment under Malhi’s post announcing her position being made redundant at the Washington Post.
{{/usCountry}}“Cause I don’t have a job and I have time today: I’m not from India you f****g imbecile,” Malhi said in response, shutting down the troll.
Layoffs at the Washington Post
{{/usCountry}}“Cause I don’t have a job and I have time today: I’m not from India you f****g imbecile,” Malhi said in response, shutting down the troll.
Layoffs at the Washington Post
{{/usCountry}}The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage.
The Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and to weather changes in technology and user habits. “We can't be everything to everyone,” Murray said in a note to staff members.
(Also read: Washington Post fires 300 employees, Shashi Tharoor's son among them)
Rumors of layoffs had circulated for weeks, ever since word leaked that sports reporters who had expected to travel to Italy for the Winter Olympics would not be going. But when official word came down, the size and scale of the cuts were shocking, affecting virtually every department in the newsroom.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
