Giants Kisaan: We Are Going After Zee Where It Hurts
So far we have successfully got Telus, CIBC, and Ford to either pull their ads or confirm no advertisements planned on Zee Canada
Giants Kisaan
February 3, 2021 | 2.5 min. read
The Godi media, which is led by Zee News, is not only part of a sophisticated propagandist machine with a reach to over a billion people, but also a significant money-making one.
Ever since the BJP became the governing party, Zee News has pivoted away from objectivity to outright fake news that uses outrage as its business model. As more people watch and read its content online or visit its youtube channel, the more ad revenue it gains. The more the content angers people, the more they visit. This is the outrage business model.
It is for this reason that hedge funds like OFI Global China Fund LLC, which has significant investments in China, have taken an interest and is now the largest public shareholder of India’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises.
According to the India Chronicles investigative report, a sophisticated fake news operation runs across the globe promoting the interests of the Indian Government. The report details how Zee News, with its massive reach, is often used to amplify fake news. Whether it is attacking Pakistan or promoting the BJP government’s interests, the operation is unrelenting.
Since the protesting farmers arrived at Delhi’s borders in Late November, Zee News has consistently attacked them and those who support them. The farmers have been called uneducated. Nobel Peace Prize nominated humanitarian aid group Khalsa Aid has been called a terrorist front.
When Canadian cabinet minister Navdeep Bains recently announced his retirement, accusations of links to extremist groups were made by Zee News almost immediately. Canadian Senator Linda Frum unwittingly retweeted the article and then apologized when she realized the source was non-reputable. A recent report from the World Sikh Organization of Canada also shares details on how Zee News has been used to spread disinformation and malign Sikh Canadians.
This should be a warning sign to Zee’s reach.
So, where does Giants Kisaan come in?
Inspired by the Sleeping Giants in the US, who have successfully asked corporations to divert their advertising spend away from right-wing conservative news platforms like Breitbart, we are an anonymous activist group that is also approaching corporations to do likewise. At present, our team has focussed on Zee Canada and is actively approaching its advertisers.
So far we have successfully got Telus, CIBC, and Ford to either pull their ads or confirm no advertisements planned on Zee Canada.
We are in discussions with smaller businesses to pull their advertisements too and hope to announce more successes soon. We have been respectful but firm with the corporations. They do not wish for their brand to be tarnished by a fake news agency. This is in their interest.
Zee Canada benefits from the Zee brand and pays a licensing fee to Zee Entertainment Services. For as long as Zee News attacks the kisaans and those who support them, we will continue our relentless pressure on the advertisers. While Zee Canada has been playing a nauseating promo that it supports the Kisaans, this is not enough. We need a categorical statement that they outright reject the fake news and smear campaigns coming from Zee News.
What’s next?
We have plans for Republic World too. It is discretely shown on all major Canadian cable providers as ATN News. It was recently fined by the UK’s regulator OfCom for hate speech against Pakistan. The offending show was also aired in Canada in 2019 and likely contravenes Canadian hate speech laws. Its vitriol towards the Kisaans has equaled only that of Zee News.
Our hope is these hatemongers suffer financially and never become attractive businesses for investors, whether a Chinese fund or otherwise.
Giants Kisaan is a team of activists working to divert ad revenue away from the Godi media. They can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @GiantsKisaan.
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