One Direction Fans Attacked Again In Skewed Article By Saira Khan: Why Now?

One Direction fans are certainly not shy about giving an opinion, and there is no doubting that some fans on occasion defend One Direction too vigorously. Cyber-bullying, abusive messages, and internet trolling are an incredibly boorish and destructive form of bullying. It has no place in society, nonetheless, the One Direction fanbase has a small number of people who seem to delight in attacking others from the safety of their keyboards. Every corner of the internet has them. The one Direction fandom is not immune. Unlike most corners of the internet, the One Direction fandom has taken really positive steps to combat the problem.

In recent weeks, the Inquisitr has reported on initiatives by One Direction fans to tackle cyber-bullying. One such group, One Direction NDA, even won an Extra Smile award for their efforts. One Direction NDA offers One Direction fans a safe space on the internet that allows them to discuss their favorite band without being stigmatized or attacked. Another One Direction fan group, Rainbow Direction, offers a similar space for LBGTQ fans. Rainbow Direction even organized meet-ups at every one of One Direction’s shows on their recently completed world tour.

Those One Direction fans behind these fantastic projects should be praised, but of course, they accept that they cannot solve every ugly issue that arises on the internet. Outbursts have always happened and doubtless always will. One Direction fans are quick to call out anyone they see as disrespectful to one of their own.

.@IamSairaKhan faces Twitter backlash after meeting @Harry_Styles ,reports trolls to police https://t.co/yaYIVxycJ7 pic.twitter.com/mRumcgQPA9

— Tribune Life & Style (@ETLifeandStyle) January 17, 2016

The Mirror reported two weeks ago that some One Direction fans were fiercely criticized after they called out Loose Women presenter Saira Khan. Khan claims she reported some One Direction fans to the police after she tagged Harry Styles in an innocent tweet. It must be said that Khan was subject of a pretty nasty attack on Twitter. Most One Direction fans are disgusted by some of the comments that were made.

No one would deny that such attacks are cruel, nasty, and unnecessary. So too is deliberately misleading your readership by misrepresenting the facts. The Sun reported that One Direction fans attacked Saira after she posted two “innocent” tweets. Khan repeats that claim today in the Daily Mail.

Khan says she was at Kenwood House in North London and had bumped into Harry Styles.

“When I said hello, [Harry] gave me a big smile and said, ‘Nice to meet you.’ Not the tale of the century, admittedly, but it’s not every day you exchange pleasantries with someone who makes seven to 70-year-olds swoon.

“I couldn’t resist sending Harry a message on Twitter afterwards. ‘It made my day,’ I wrote. ‘You are a sweetheart.'”

Of course, those “innocent” tweets were not what got some One Direction fans hot under the collar. It was a message that Khan appears to have deleted that caused the upset. Khan writes that message off in a single sentence hidden away in the middle of a very long article.

“I was a little giddy when I engaged in some banter online about Harry’s predilection for older ladies.”

Therein lies the real issue. The sexualisation of a 21-year-old by a woman over twice his age. Clearly, One Direction fans believe that Khan either does not understand the issue or that she is deliberately overlooking it in order to reflect One Direction fans in the poorest light possible. Khan even went on to say that she knows how Caroline Flack felt. Trotting out that line is unlikely to win any friends among One Direction fans.

Many One Direction fans believe that Flack and her boss, Simon Cowell, are to blame for the sexualization of Harry Styles from when he was just 16-years-old. Many One Direction fans will wonder how the media would have portrayed a 45-year-old man making such comments to a young girl.

In an ideal world, internet trolls would not exist, and they certainly should not be condoned. In an ideal world, journalists would tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth all of the time. One Direction fans will not expect that to happen anytime soon. Fans of One Direction could also be forgiven for wondering why Khan has chosen to resurrect old news several weeks after the event was widely reported.

[Photos by Vianney Le Caer/Matt Sayles/Invision/AP]