I'm American: Sacked WaPo journalist's response to 'go back to India' trolling
The mass layoffs at The Washington Post snowballed into further controversy after Sabrina Malhi, a New York–born American citizen, spoke about the personal impact of the job cuts and was subsequently targeted over her Indian origin.
As The Washington Post initiated one of its most sweeping layoffs in its nearly 150-year history on Wednesday, a laid-off US journalist of Indo-Caribbean origin came under attack from a section of internet users who told her to “return to India.”
Frustrated, the journalist, Sabrina Malhi -- who had served as the newspaper’s national health reporter --shut down her critics, saying, "Cause I don’t have a job and I have time today: I'm not from India, you f****g imbecile."
The job cuts at the historic news outlet eliminated nearly one-third of its workforce -- about 300 employees in one go -- affecting almost every department, including the sports section, foreign bureaus, and books coverage.
The mass layoffs at The Washington Post snowballed into further controversy when Malhi, who was born in New York and is an American citizen, spoke about the personal impact of the job cuts and was, in turn, targeted for her Indian roots. "My heart is broken. I'm sitting here nursing my newborn baby and losing my ‘dream job’ at @washingtonpost is devastating."
Her announcement prompted some online users to target her with xenophobic remarks, including the phrase "Go back to India," despite her American citizenship and New York upbringing.
Malhi’s family has roots in Guyana, a Latin American country with a significant Indian-origin community. She grew up in an Indo-Caribbean household and identifies as both American and Indo-Caribbean.
Among other notable names to be laid off from Jeff Bezos-owned organistion was that of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's son, Ishaan. A day after the incident sent shockwaves across the media world, Shashi Tharoor hit out at the decision, calling the business decision "bizarre."
The post, which was deleted shortly after, pointed out that Ishaan Tharoor’s WorldView newsletter had more than half a million unique subscribers, arguing that scrapping it amounted to a "perverse act of self-immolation."
The decision to sack hundreds of employees follows weeks of speculation, particularly after reports surfaced that sports reporters were no longer scheduled to cover a major sporting event like the Winter Olympics in Italy.
The large-scale layoffs have drawn attention to the continuing challenges faced by legacy media organisations as they contend with digital disruption and shifting consumer preferences.
The Washington Post’s leadership maintains that the restructuring is essential for maintaining the publication’s viability, even as it leaves a significant mark on the company’s workforce and public profile.
Matt Murray, The Washington Post's executive editor, communicated to staff that the decision, while painful, aimed to secure the organisation’s long-term stability and to adapt to ongoing changes in technology and audience behaviour. "We can't be everything to everyone," Murray stated in a note to employees, emphasising the strategic nature of the cuts.