Yahoo Finance ‘I’m steeling myself for online trolls during Euros’, says ITV presenter Seema Jaswal
TV presenter Seema Jaswal has revealed she was warned to prepare for potential online abuse over hosting ITV’s Euros coverage.
The 36-year-old broadcaster, who is one of the channel’s main presenters for the tournament, said she had “nothing but love and support” from fans online.
But she said she she was now preparing herself for more online abuse due to the high-profile nature of the job.
She told the Standard: “It is sad that I am saying this, but I am fortunate that I haven’t been trolled. I think it is the platform that I am on. I have been quite protected, and I have had nothing but love and support. Maybe the odd comment here and there but nothing to say I have been trolled.
“But it is sad as well [that] I have been told by a few people: ‘Just be prepared.’ Now you are going to a different level you might get all this [online backlash]. It is sad that part of my preparation, somewhere in the back of my mind I am aware that it might happen. It’s sad that I am thinking along those lines.”
The host, from Richmond, said she had seen the impact brutal trolling has on people through the experiences of her female colleagues, suggesting social media sites should do more to control online hatred.
“I am so saddened every time I hear and see the messages some of my female colleagues receive,” she said. “And they are my friends, so I know how they feel. I hope social media companies do more to protect people.”
Earlier this year, BBC journalist Sonja McLaughlan said she was left in tears after trolls hounded her on social media following the Six Nations England Wales game. England were beaten 40-24 - and the reporter pushed England captain Owen Farrell in a post-match interview, causing some fans to leap to his defense.
She wrote online: “Toxic, embarrassing, disgraceful, appalling. Just some of the feedback I’ve had.
“Thanks for using @ sign so it’s all hit home.Now imagine getting inundated with abuse for doing your job. In my car crying. Hope you’re happy.”
Jaswal has presented Premier League global coverage, motorsports on channel 4 and the World Snooker Championships on the BBC.
She said it was a positive step that more women were being hired as pundits and sports hosts - adding she owed her career to “those who went before me.”
“I would watch the likes of Gaby Logan, Claire Balding, Kirsty Gallagher,” she said. “It was those women who were rocking the sports world. I can only imagine the barriers they broke down to get into their position. I really looked up to them. And they have paved the way for people like me. What I have experienced will have been so different to what they experienced. On any given day I will be saying hello to my female colleagues and my male colleagues but there will be a real balance.”
She said: “I think in general, and not just for sport, I would like to see more women in decision-making positions. If you have more balance at the top in any industry it can only filter down in a positive way. That is not just sport, it’s everywhere.”
Read More
Vaccines milestone as government ‘confident’ about July 19 reopening
The new ‘Freedom Day’? What will the rules be from July 19
Ireland confirms self-isolation requirement for people arriving from Britain
Closing the digital skills gap is key to unlocking London’s recovery
