Just a month after former employees of the leftist rag Newslaundry came out with their accounts of workplace harassment and toxic culture at the outlet, another former employee Priyanka Ishwari has accused the digital media organisation on similar grounds and alleged that senior reporter Prateek Goyal harassed and intimidated her during her time at the organisation, as reported in OpIndia.
In a 30-post thread on X on Monday, 31 August 2026, Ishwari detailed what she described as her experience at Newslaundry, including an alleged incident in which Goyal shouted at her after she questioned him over a work-related issue. The post has now been made private.
Ishwari said the incident occurred after a senior colleague had asked her to confront Goyal over what she described as a work infraction.
“For me, shit hit the fan when Newslaundry’s senior reporter Prateek Goyal screamed at me using the most degrading language on a call when I called him out on a work infraction (after a senior had asked me to). He could not tolerate that a woman editor could stand up for herself and push back. He lost it and forgot he was talking to a colleague. “Tu hai kaun?”, “Kabse dekh raha hun mein terko” this is how he spoke to me at the top of his voice.“
She said the incident left her shaken for days.
“The entire incident had left me horrified. All of my eight-ten colleagues sitting around me could see that the call had left me shaken. It took me more than two days to not tremble from that intimidating call,” she said.
According to Ishwari, Goyal did not apologise despite being asked to do so by a senior colleague. Instead, she alleged that he called her to justify his anger.
“When a team senior asked Prateek to apologise to me he called me to justify ke “usko gussa kyun aaya”? When I told him that this did not sound like an apology, he said, “You think I am apologizing to you?”.”
Ishwari further alleged that a senior colleague told her that the lack of action against Goyal was not surprising because he was allegedly favoured by the organisation’s editors.
“When I informed my team senior, who had tried to get Prateek to apologise to me but failed, about the editors’ response, she told me that it wasn’t surprising that no action was taken against Prateek. “He is the editors’ blue-eyed boy,” she had sighed,” Ishwari said.
Allegations Against Newslaundry Founder
Ishwari also described her interaction with Newslaundry founder Abhinandan Sekhri, alleging that the organisation’s response to her complaint reflected a broader workplace culture.
She claimed Sekhri attributed some workplace tensions to differences between women from metropolitan backgrounds and men from smaller towns.
“He said that women from metropolitan cities may not always like the behaviour of men from small towns and middle-class upbringing. I don’t know what that meant…I once saw Abhinandan berate an intern for ten minutes while I was having lunch. In front of 3 other people, he had screamed at the intern, “You will be nothing in life.” “Your generation wants everything but doesn’t want to do any work,” he yelled.”
Ishwari said the incident involving Goyal appeared less surprising to her in retrospect because of what she claimed to have witnessed and heard during her time at the organisation.
“Now that I think about it, it wasn’t unnatural for a male reporter to scream at and intimidate a woman editor the way Prateek did without any repercussions or at least an apology at a place like Newslaundry. From what I had seen and heard from colleagues, things could be worse,” she said.
Allegation Of Gender-Based Workplace Demand
Ishwari also alleged that a male reporter at Newslaundry had once asked that no female producer accompany him while shooting video reports.
“A male reporter once asked that no female producer be sent with him for shooting video reports. Two male colleagues had told me the concerned department head had given into the demand. It stopped later, but no senior editor ever questioned the reporter over this outrageous ask.”
She said the alleged incident was significant in light of Newslaundry’s subsequent response to former employees who spoke publicly about their experiences.
“So it was not really shocking to see that after former employees started speaking up about their experiences, Newslaundry called them “unsubstantiated” and “fictitious”. Mails, meeting with the founder, in-person acknowledgement meant nothing to them,” she added.
Ishwari also pointed to the absence of a dedicated HR department at the organisation.
“It is no wonder that Prateek goes around calling me a liar and is “Proud” to be a part of Newslaundry. Not surprised that the NL team platforms accounts calling former colleagues “politically motivated” while some of us still await a simple “Sorry”. The organisation doesn’t even have a single HR person even when employees, mostly women who were far lesser in number, would routinely reach out to the editors about some or the other complaint about someone’s behaviour at the workplace,” she said.
Questions Over Newslaundry’s Handling Of Complaints
Ishwari’s allegations come amid a wider controversy surrounding allegations by former employees about the organisation’s workplace culture and its handling of complaints.
She also referred to Newslaundry’s past coverage and commentary surrounding the Tarun Tejpal case, questioning whether the organisation would have treated a rape complainant differently if the accused had been acquitted.
“Newslaundry’s statements, their actions, nothing point to the organisation’s sincere intent to look inwards and introspect. All their statements reek of arrogance. They are always pointing fingers at others while the effort to self-examine is never heartfelt.All this makes me wonder if Newslaundry would have taken down that horrible rape apology, which it platformed for more 12 years, if Tejpal was acquitted. Would they be okay with shaming a rape complainant if the court found the accused not guilty? Sad to think they would be.“
Ishwari has since left Newslaundry. However, she alleged that Goyal, whom she accused of intimidating her, continues to work at the organisation.
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Her allegations add to questions being raised by former employees about the internal workplace culture at a media organisation that has frequently positioned itself as a platform for accountability and scrutiny of others.
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