A Female Sports Journalist Is Harassed Online Every 30 Seconds

A female journalist is harassed online every 30 seconds, according to a global survey by the International Federation of Journalists. Nearly two-thirds of women in the profession face online abuse and harassment — and cricket broadcasting is now one of the loudest showcases of it.

Veteran cricket journalist Anjali Doshi, who co-hosts Wisden's YouTube show The Scoop, has documented the torrent she received after expressing views on the politicisation and sexism in cricket. She's been called a "whingeing cry baby", told to "get back in the kitchen", called a "randi" (whore), and accused of sleeping her way into jobs. One commenter wrote: "I hope you get stabbed in London by a militant."

Doshi's account spans a 24-year career that includes the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, the 2007-08 "Monkeygate" series in Australia, the 2010 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup. She was cricket editor at NDTV 24x7, co-edited The Nightwatchman and interviewed Shane Warne, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. She says the abuse began in earnest after a 2013 Wisden India piece on the male gaze during the IPL — but it was sporadic then.

What changed when she returned to cricket?

Returning this year after a break, Doshi found a coverage economy built on short clips. Shows like The Scoop manufacture one- and two-minute reels because, in a metrics-driven audit culture, impressions dominate. The flipside, she argues, is that clip-first distribution invites fans who skip context before posting hateful comments.

The worst abuse landed on two segments: her criticism of Sunil Gavaskar's comments about Indian-owned Hundred teams picking Pakistani players, and a piece questioning IPL cheerleaders. She noted that 18 editions in, the cheerleaders are still primarily Caucasian, and that eight of 32 NFL teams have dropped cheerleaders altogether after owners called the practice sexist and degrading. Former fast bowler Dale Steyn misrepresented her cheerleader comments and told her "Be better" — then went silent when she wrote a detailed rebuttal, she says.

How are other women in cricket faring?

Former England cricketer Alex Hartley, a 2017 World Cup winner, faced what Doshi calls a virtual tsunami of abuse after criticising the timing of Brendon McCullum's sacking as Test coach during the first women's Test at Lord's. "I hope you're gang raped" was among her Instagram direct messages. Hartley deleted her X account and now self-filters on air: "If I still firmly believe what I'm saying is true after I've given it a lot of thought for a few hours, I'll say it."

Last month, a current player messaged Hartley to say she was "rubbish at her job". Her read: "If a male commentator had expressed similar opinions, there is no way the cricketer would have sent him that message."

Presenter Melinda Farrell, a former Wisden Cricket Monthly feature writer, says the accusation that she didn't belong in cricket media has faded — but trolling and stalking have grown. "While male journalists are abused too, none of it is gendered or sexualised," she said. She believes she escaped a pile-on over her criticism of Hampshire's brief signing of Scott Kuggeleijn — acquitted of rape charges in 2017 after a retrial — only because the podcast doesn't post short clips. She now posts less and self-censors. "It's exhausting," Farrell says. "Ultimately, I have to get on with making a living."

What does this change for newsrooms?

Doshi argues the usual advice — don't read the comments — dodges the real question: what prompts the abuse, and where's the platform regulation? The IFJ data suggests the cost isn't just personal. Unrelenting harassment forces women out of the profession or, at minimum, shrinks their engagement on the platforms publishers now depend on for distribution. She also points to a political climate where Donald Trump publicly belittles female journalists, emboldening anonymous men to do the same.

Her closing message, borrowed from the #MorethanMean campaign with American sports journalists Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro, is blunt: "We wouldn't say it to their faces, so let's not type it." Whether platforms or cricket boards act on that remains, for now, an open question.