"New York Times" reporter Natasha Frost admitted to leaking details from a chat group of Jewish business owners in Australia, leading to the persecution of those listed by anti-Israel groups and other elements.
The American newspaper announced that it had initiated disciplinary proceedings against the reporter, after she admitted to sharing details from the list with a third party without the editorial board's approval. Frost reportedly downloaded about 900 pages of correspondence from a WhatsApp group created by the local Jewish community following the October 7 massacre.
Many of the 600 and more Jews on said list received death threats, insults, and suffered other forms of harassment, both online and offline. The "New York Post" reported that some of the victims were forced to leave their homes due to ongoing threats against them.
Natasha Frost, a NYTimes reporter who was based in Melbourne earlier this year, downloaded and shared 900 pages of content from a private WhatsApp chat.
This woman should be in prison. Meanwhile, she still works at the NYT. https://t.co/zHeu1Pdgci
— Danielle Pletka
(@dpletka) August 17, 2024
In her defense, Frost claimed that she shared the information with only one person, who presumably decided to pass on the details to others without her knowledge or consent. "The subsequent dissemination and misuse happened entirely without my knowledge or consent. I was shocked by these events, which put me and many others at terrible risk. I deeply regret my decision," the reporter stated.
Joshua Moshe, one of the group members whose details were leaked, told the "New York Post" that his souvenir shop in Melbourne was attacked and vandalized by unknown individuals, with anti-Israel stickers posted at the site. Moshe eventually had to close the business and leave the neighborhood.
Australia's Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, announced his intention to promote legislation that would prohibit the deliberate distribution of citizens' contact details with the intent to harm them or their reputation. "The increasing use of online platforms to harm people through practices like doxxing, the malicious release of their personal information without their permission, is a deeply disturbing development," the attorney general told Australian media outlets.
