Vidya Krishnan

Vidya Krishnan
NationalityIndian
Alma materHarvard University
Oxford University
SOAS, University of London
Occupation(s)Investigative Journalist, author
Known forCOVID-19 reporting
Notable workPhantom Plague (2022 book)

Vidya Krishnan is a health-focused Indian investigative journalist and author, based in Montreal.[1]

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.[2][3]

She comes from a tamil brahmin family[4] and is known for her book about Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped our History.[5]

Career

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Krishnan started her career in 2003 at The Pioneer newspaper. As a freelance journalist, she regularly writes for Foreign Policy,[6] The Caravan,[7] and The Atlantic,[8][9] and was previously the health editor for The Hindu.[10]

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 2020, after years of health reporting, Krishnan spoke about navigating high levels of online harassment while reporting on COVID-19[10] including receiving death and rape threats.[13]

Throughout 2021, Krishnan was critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[14][15] She spoke about how the pandemic is disproportionately affecting poor people, and that the response is not led by scientists.[16][17][18][19]

Krishnan delivered the Dr C.V.S. Sarma Memorial Lecture at the University of Hyderabad in November 2021, titled Science Denialism & Democracy.[20]

Selected publications

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Awards

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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.[23] She has won the Oxford University's global health journalism fellowship, a National Press Foundation fellowship, and McGill University's global health media scholarship.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Indian journalist Vidya Krishnan on navigating harassment and government obstruction while covering COVID-19". Committee to Protect Journalists. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ^ "#MeToo: India Today's Gaurav Sawant accused of sexual assault; he threatens legal action". National Herald. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  3. ^ Danner, Chas (2 May 2021). "India Sees 400,000 New Cases in a Day: COVID-Crisis Updates". Intelligencer. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  4. ^ @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.
  5. ^ PHANTOM PLAGUE | Kirkus Reviews.
  6. ^ Krishnan, Vidya. "Vidya Krishnan". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Vidya Krishnan | The Caravan". caravanmagazine.in. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  8. ^ "A devastating COVID surge takes a fresh toll on Indian journalism". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  9. ^ "India cracks down on journalism, again". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Indian journalist Vidya Krishnan on navigating harassment and government obstruction while covering COVID-19". Committee to Protect Journalists. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  11. ^ Mishra, Veerendra. Combating Human Trafficking: Gaps in Policy and Law. India: SAGE Publications, 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Class of 2021". Nieman Foundation. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  13. ^ "India: PEN Delhi on the Importance of Press Freedom During Coronavirus – PEN Canada". pencanada.ca. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  14. ^ Danner, Chas (2 May 2021). "India Sees 400,000 New Cases in a Day: COVID-Crisis Updates". Intelligencer. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Analysis | The world finally woke up to India's virus nightmare". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Journalist Vidya Krishnan Details the Pandemic's Devastating Impact on India | KCM". Katie Couric Media. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  17. ^ "In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt: A Sobering Reality in India (with Vidya Krishnan) on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  18. ^ Gopalan, Aparna (19 June 2021). "India's Vaccine Makers Are Pandemic Profiteers, Not Humanitarians". The Intercept. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  19. ^ Pal, Alasdair (29 April 2021). "As COVID-19 floods India's hospitals, the better-off also scramble for care". Reuters. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Dr CVS Sarma Memorial Lecture - Science Denialism & Democracy - Vidya Krishnan". School and College Listings. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  21. ^ PHANTOM PLAGUE | Kirkus Reviews.
  22. ^ Mandavilli, Apoorva (5 February 2022). "Battling an Ancient Scourge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  23. ^ "3 Indian journalists to get International Health Media Fellowship". Hindustan Times. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Vidya Krishnan". Asia Literary Agency. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
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