We at Indian Link, take complaints regarding editorial content very seriously. The following is a response to a letter we received from Yogesh Khattar, spokesperson for Indian Diaspora in Sydney Facebook group, and to the open question in the subsequent press release about how Indian Link sourced specific information.
We stand by our reporting of the incidents and what happened on Feb 14.
The ‘claims’ in our article were indeed comments made by our interviewees that we reported. As mentioned in the article in question, these comments came from a spokesperson of the NSW Police and a representative of the Sikh community, which are both relevant sources.
We reported what the police informed us – regarding the intent of the rally, its route, their escort which they said is a routine procedure “to monitor”, and the reason they deemed it necessary to turn back the rally.
We have the necessary confirmation in writing by NSW Police and a copy of our phone interview with the police spokesperson for the article published.
We pride ourselves on reporting objectively and made much effort in trying to find out who had organised the rally.
We were specifically told by many sources they did not know the identity of the people, and that no one had come forward to claim responsibility.
A day after the news was published on Tuesday, Feb 16, we found a ‘press release’ of sorts doing the rounds on social media. It came on a ‘letterhead’ of a vaguely named ‘Indian Diaspora in Sydney’, with no contact details or even the name of the person issuing. We are only aware of a Facebook group created on Feb 20.
All press releases need to have the name and contact details of the person issuing or authorised to release the information to the media for clarifications and follow up.
Regards,
Pawan Luthra, CEO, Indian Link
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