The power of the Punjabi press

A growing number of people in the GTA say they are becoming victimized by the highly influential, and allegedly irresponsible, ethnic media, reports the Toronto Star.

The Star tells the tale of more than one young bride who has immigrated to Toronto, married, discovered her husband was abusive, and subsequently filed for divorce – only to be pilloried in the local Punjabi media as a fraud.

A growing number of people in the GTA say they are becoming victimized by the highly influential, and allegedly irresponsible, ethnic media, reports the Toronto Star.

The Star tells the tale of more than one young bride who has immigrated to Toronto, married, discovered her husband was abusive, and subsequently filed for divorce – only to be pilloried in the local Punjabi media as a fraud.

In one case, sentiment against the woman – and growing calls to deport her – reportedly made her so afraid she refused to leave her house.

“It was a public trial,” Shalini Konanur, executive director of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, told the Star. “The media is becoming judge and jury. That’s not their role.”

For more, check out the Star’s story.