In 2026, as India grapples with ongoing concerns over press freedom and journalist safety amid reports of heightened risks for women in media, women reporters in Delhi continue to face structural barriers in field assignments, including unequal access to sources, safety threats, and gender-based exclusion from key beats.<\/p>\n
Mrinalini Dhyani, an independent journalist who has worked with The Print and Mojo Story recalled a press briefing organised by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, where she was the only woman at the table and how another woman with a camera and tripod entering the room created a moment of mutual recognition. \u2018That is how it has been for us. You will be mansplained to and not taken seriously, and no matter if it is 2026, you will still be given the soft beats.<\/em>\u2018 Speaking about newsroom practices, Mrinalini added, \u2018Ensuring a woman\u2019s safety while sending her on assignment is often seen as an added burden in Indian newsrooms. And so, most of the time, the opportunity is passed on to male counterparts because \u2018with them, there\u2019s supposedly no security concern\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n For many women reporters, exclusion is not only about personal safety but also professional access. \u201cThe very fact that the male counterparts did not find anything uncommon about the absence of female journalists in the room shows how deeply this has been normalised,\u201d she remarked on the Taliban press briefings<\/strong><\/a> in Delhi.\u00a0<\/p>\n Himanshi Dahiya, special correspondent at The Quint, pointed out, \u201cThere are certain beats, be it the crime beat or politics or security or defence, where a lot of reportage depends on access. These spaces are so male-dominated that it\u2019s very difficult for a woman reporter to get access. For many women reporters, exclusion is not only about personal safety but also professional access.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Himanshi Dahiya, special correspondent at The Quint, pointed out, \u201cThere are certain beats, be it the crime beat or politics or security or defence, where a lot of reportage depends on access. These spaces are so male-dominated that it\u2019s very difficult for a woman reporter to get access. I\u2019ve gone on assignments where, while I\u2019m asking a question, the official responds to my male colleague sitting beside me.\u201d She recounts feeling threatened during a reporting trip after men linked to a powerful local Mafia, whom she interviewed, appeared at her hotel lobby later as a form of silent intimidation, an incident she says would likely not happen to a male reporter.<\/p>\n Dahiya explains that male reporters often get quicker access to sources and can travel freely for stories at late hours by any means of transport. \u201cA male colleague has a better chance of getting that story first without thinking of all these things, but I have to think if it\u2019s even safe to travel. This edges women out of the competition.\u201d News organisations sometimes pass over women for reporting assignments due to safety concerns and higher travel costs, she says. \u201cThere are times when men are preferred for assignments over women, so that makes you less efficient at your job for no fault of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n Recalling an incident, journalist Swadha Shankar shared how a field assignment on menstrual taboos in a rural area near Mayur Vihar in Delhi turned violent. \u201cWatching a woman asking their young girls such \u2018nasty\u2019, \u2018dirty\u2019 questions, men of that village got violent. While I was leaving the area, two men grabbed my collar and said, \u2018If you ever come here again spreading this filth, we\u2019ll break your legs.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n She added that basic facilities like late-night cabs exist \u201conly because it\u2019s a government rule\u201d. Speaking about her ground coverage of the 2020 Bihar elections and 2022 UP elections, she said, \u201cWhen you see a female reporter on the ground, just know she is gambling her safety for information. People routinely catcall women reporters and threaten their safety.\u201d<\/p>\nNormalisation of Exclusion: From Press Briefings to Beats<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Safety as a Barrier: Institutional and Societal Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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