Zee News

Zee News is a Hindi-language news channel owned by the Essel Group.[1] It is associated with several other sister news channels which provide coverage in Hindi, English and several regional languages of India. Zee News was launched on 27 August 1999, as Zee Sports Ltd. The company was reincorporated on 27 May 2004, as Zee News Ltd.[2] In 2013, Zee News Ltd changed its name to Zee Media Corporation Limited.[3] The Zee News channel is the flagship channel of the company.[4]

See also: Zee TV
Zee News
Launched27 August 1999 (1999-08-27)
Owned byEssel Group
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 4:3 576i for the SDTV feed)
Audience share1,82,174 (July 2020, BARC India)
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Broadcast areaInternational
HeadquartersNoida, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sister channel(s)Zee TV
Websitezeenews.india.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Oqaab
(Afghanistan)		Channel 45
Satellite
Airtel Digital TVChannel 311
Dish TVChannel 651
Reliance Digital TVChannel 408
Tata SkyChannel 511
Videocon D2HChannel 302
Cable
Siti CableChannel 303
Cable TV Hong KongChannel 852
IPTV
now TV
(Hong Kong)		Channel 785
Dish Network
(United States)		Channel 708 (SD)
Streaming media
Live Stream (International)live Web stream at Zee News

The chairman of the group is Subhash Chandra, who is a Bharatiya Janata Party-backed member of the Rajya Sabha.[5] Sudhir Chaudhary is the editor-in-chief of Zee News and the anchor of the prime time show on the channel.[6] The channel has been involved in several controversies and has broadcast fabricated news stories on multiple occasions.[7] The channel is subjected to an ongoing criminal defamation case against legislator Mahua Moitra as of March 2020.[8]

Outlets

Television

The Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) operates a number of other channels, some in regional languages with the stated intent of providing a pan-Indian reach.[9][10][2][11]

  • World is One News (WION): English language news channel.
  • Zee Business: Hindi language business news channel.
  • Zee Hindustan: 24/7 national Hindi language news channel. It was relaunched in 2017 as an anchor-less news channel.[12] It was formerly branded as Zee Sangam and India 24x7.[13]
  • Zee 24 Taas: 24/7 Marathi language regional news channel.
  • Zee 24 Kalak: 24/7 Gujarati language regional news channel. It was inaugurated on 20 August 2017 by Vijay Rupani, the Chief Minister of Gujarat.[14]
  • Zee Rajasthan: Hindi language news channel operating in Rajasthan. It was formerly branded as Zee Marudhara.
  • Zee Odisha: Odia language regional news channel. It was formerly branded as Zee Kalinga.
  • Zee Salaam: Urdu language news channel.
  • Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh: Hindi language news channel operating in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
  • Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal: Hindi language news channel operating in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
  • Zee Bihar Jharkhand: Hindi and Bhojpuri language news channel operating in Bihar and Jharkhand. It was formerly branded as Zee Purvaiya.
  • Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand: Hindi language news channel operating in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The company also runs two regional news channels through its subsidiaries.[9][13]

  • Zee 24 Ghanta: 24/7 Bengali language regional news channel. It is owned by the Zee Akash News Pvt Ltd subsidiary.
  • Maurya TV: Hindi language news channel operating in Bihar and Jharkhand. It is owned by the Maurya TV Pvt Ltd subsidiary.
Cover of Daily News & Analysis.

Online

Zee News operates the Daily News & Analysis and Zee News websites to provide online coverage of the channel. The Zee5 Website which is owned by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises is used to platform coverage of other ZMCL channels.[15] The World is One News (WION) channel operates its own WION website.[16] The ZMCL also owns the India.com news website.[17]

  • Zee News Website: English and Hindi language online news coverage service of Zee News.
  • Daily News & Analysis Website: English language online news coverage service. It is branded under the DNA program of Zee News.
  • Zee5 Website: Streaming service which hosts ZMCL news channels.
  • WION Website: English language online news coverage service of World is One News.
  • India.com: English and Hindi language news website owned by ZMCL.

Newspaper

The Daily News & Analysis was an English-language broadsheet newspaper owned by the Zee Media Corporation Limited. It was launched in 2005 and branded under the Daily News & Analysis (DNA) program of Zee News. It was primarily circulated in Mumbai and discontinued on 9 October 2019 citing losses.[18][19]

Reception

Jindal Group incident

The channel was tried for allegedly extorting ₹100 Crore from the Jindal Group revealed through a sting operation.[20] Two senior journalists Sudhir Chaudhary and Sameer Ahluwalia were arrested.[21][22][23] The two were sent to 14-day judicial custody in Tihar jail and were ultimately released on bail.[24][25] Naveen Jindal had accused the two journalists of trying to extort ₹1,000,000,000 (equivalent to ₹1.7 billion or US$23 million in 2019) in advertisements for Zee News from him through blackmail by threatening to air stories against his company in the Coalgate scam. Zee News denied the charges and made counter claims of Jindal offering them ₹200,000,000 (equivalent to ₹330 million or US$4.6 million in 2019) to halt their investigations against Jindal Steel's involvement in the scam but filed no charges.[26] In July 2018, the Jindal Group withdrew the case against Zee News and both parties to the litigation stated that an out of court settlement had been reached which remains undisclosed.[27]

Cases of fabrication

Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition controversy

Zee News reported that students from the Democratic Students' Union (DSU) raised "anti-India" slogans such as Bharat ki barbadi (Destruction of India) and Pakistan Zindabad (Long live Pakistan) in an event on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus.[28] In a letter Vishwa Deepak, a journalist working at the channel gave a statement that "our biases made us hear Bhartiya Court Zindabad (Long live Indian courts) as Pakistan Zindabad." Vishwa Deepak later resigned from the channel after expressing reservations over its "biased coverage". The footage on the newscast of Zee News had formed the basis of charges filed by the Delhi Police.[29] Sudhir Chaudhary, editor and prime time anchor of the channel however on a telecast made a statement saying "our channel only showed what was happening there, whatever we have shown is 100% authentic."[30] The forensic report of the Delhi Police however later stated that the footage was doctored.[31][32]

GPS Chips in ₹2000 currency notes

Anchor Sudhir Chaudhary ran a Daily News and Analysis program announcing that the Indian 2000-rupee note issued after the 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation by the government have GPS chips which will allow the government to track currency, thereby reducing corruption.[33] The Minister of Finance, Arun Jaitley dismissed the report as being rumours.[34] The Reserve Bank of India has also given a statement that no such chips are present in the currency notes.[35] The presence of "nano GPS" in the currency notes has been classified as a hoax being spread on social media.[36][37]

Navjot Singh Sidhu - Alwar controversy

Zee News telecasted a video with the claim that the slogans of Pakistan Zindabad were raised at a rally in Alwar presided over by the Indian National Congress politician, Navjot Singh Sidhu.[38] Sidhu accused Zee News of playing a doctored video and threatened to file a defamation suit against Zee News.[39] Sidhu stated that slogans of Jo Bole So Nihal were misconstrued as being in favor of Pakistan.[40] Zee News accused Sidhu of calling a news broadcast to be fake news sent a defamation notice to him. The noticed demanded a apology from him within 24 hours and threatened to pursue legal recourse if an apology was not issued by him.[41]

Coronavirus Cases Misreporting

On April 9, 2020, Zee News reported that there were 11 positive cases of COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh and linked them to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering. This report was refuted by the Arunachal Pradesh Information and Public Relations department in a tweet which read "This is to clarify that Arunachal Pradesh has got only 1 COVID-19 positive case till date.The reporting by Zeenews is false and does not carry any authenticity."[42][43]

Mahua Moitra criminal defamation case

Zee News telecasted a show featuring editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary where he claimed that Trinamool Congress legislator Mahua Moitra had plagiarised author Martin Longman in her maiden speech after being elected to the Lok Sabha.[44] Moitra accused the channel of false reporting and submitted a breach of privilege motion against Zee News and Sudhir Chaudhary.[45] Martin Longman responded and stated that the legislator did not plagiarise him.[46] Subsequently, Moitra filed a criminal defamation case against Chaudhary.[8]

Coverage of 2020 Delhi election results

The 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election were held on 8 February 2020.[47] The exit poll results predicted the Aam Aadmi Party to retain their government in National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Zee News telecast of the exit poll results featured Sudhir Chaudhary who indulged in polemic commentary against the voters of the election.[48] He stated that the people of Delhi had chosen Pakistan over Hindustan and that the rule of Mughals will now return. He further alleged the people of Delhi are lazy and only concerned about "freebies" and that issues like Ram Mandir, Balakot airstrike and Revocation of Article 370 do not matter to them which is why they have rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party.[49] The telecast resulted in backlash and mockery of Zee News and Sudhir Chaudhary on social media.[50]

Ban in Nepal

On 9 July 2020, Nepal's satellite and cable television operators banned Zee News and some other Indian privately owned news channels, citing "propaganda and defamatory report against Nepal government".[51][52]

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See also

References
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  2. "Zee Media Corporation Ltd". Business Standard. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  3. "Zee Media Corporation History | Zee Media Corporation Information". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  4. "Director Reports, Company Results of Zee Media Corp". NDTV Profit. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  5. Mohan, Archis (1 June 2016). "Subhash Chandra bets on BJP support for Rajya Sabha entry". Business Standard India. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  6. "Sudhir Chaudhary now also editor in Chief of zee business". Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  7. List of sources:
  8. "Mahua Moitra Files Criminal Defamation Case Against Sudhir Chaudhary". The Wire. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  9. "Profile: Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZEEN.BO)". Reuters. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  10. "Zee Media to foray into English news broadcasting". Moneycontrol. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  11. "ZMCL Channels Overview". www.zeemedia.in. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  12. "Zee Hindustan re-launched as anchor-less channel - Exchange4media". exchange4media.com. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  13. "India 24x7 is now Zee Hindustan". Best Media Info. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  14. "Gujarat CM, Deputy CM launch new DNA Ahmedabad and Zee 24 Kalak". DNA India. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  15. "Zee Media Corporation Limited". esselgroup.com. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  16. Basu, Indrani (18 August 2015). "Zee Group To Launch English News Channel, Hires Rohit Gandhi As Editor-In-Chief". Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  17. "Cautious road ahead for Zee Entertainment". The Financial Express. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  18. Dutta, Amrita Nayak (11 October 2019). "DNA goes out of print 14 years after launch — rise & sudden fall of a promising newspaper". ThePrint. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  19. Bhupesh Trivedi (1 June 2006). "DNA commissions E&Y to certify circulation". Indian Media Observer (issue #26). Archived from the original on 19 December 2007.
  20. Jebaraj, Priscilla (28 July 2016). "Jindal plays CD, claims Zee editors demanded Rs. 100 crore". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  21. "Naveen Jindal vs Zee: Senior journalists arrested over alleged extortion". NDTV India. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  22. "Two Zee editors arrested for 'Rs 100-crore extortion bid' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  23. "Jindal Group and Zee television in extortion scandal". The Australian. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  24. "Zee editors in two-week custody". BBC News. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  25. "Zee News editors sent to Tihar jail". Hindustan Times. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
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  27. "ED charges against Naveen Jindal, others as his firm settles case of extortion with Zee". The Indian Express. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  28. "From 'Pakistan Zindabad' to 'Bharat ki barbaadi' - Slogans that were raised by 'anti-nationals' in JNU". Zee News. 14 February 2016.
  29. "Zee News producer quits: Video we shot had no Pakistan Zindabad slogan". The Indian Express. 22 February 2016.
  30. "We speak with the Zee News journalist who resigned over the channel's coverage of #JNURow". Newslaundry. 21 February 2016.
  31. "Forensic experts say Kanhaiya video was doctored". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  32. "JNUSU's Kanhaiya Kumar sedition row: 'Raw footage given by TV channel Doctored, finds Forensic Experts'". India Today. Express News Service. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  33. Venkataramakrishnan, Rohan (9 November 2016). "No, the RBI hasn't announced a Rs 2,000 note with a 'nano GPS chip' that it can track". Scroll.in. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  34. "Nano Chip In Rs 2,000 Notes? Arun Jaitley Dismisses Rumours". NDTV.com. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  35. Raghavan, TCA Sharad (9 November 2016). "No electronic chip in Rs. 2000 notes: RBI". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  36. "No, New Rs. 2000 Note Will Not Have a 'Nano GPS Chip'". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  37. "No, Rs 2000 note doesn't have nano GPS for tracking but it may have RFID". India Today. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  38. "Shocking! Pak supporters shout "Pakistan Zindabad" slogan in Navjot Singh Sidhu rally". Zee News. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  39. Mehta, Ashish; 4 December 2018. "navjot singh sidhu: Will sue channel for fake news: Navjot Singh Sidhu | Jaipur News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  40. "Sidhu to file defamation suit against TV channel for airing 'fake' video". Business Standard. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  41. "Zee News sends Rs 1000 crore defamation notice to Navjot Singh Sidhu after he accuses channel of playing fake video". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  42. @ArunachalDIPR (9 April 2020). "This is to clarify that Arunachal Pradesh has got only 1 COVID-19 positive case till date. The reporting by Zeenews is false and does not carry any authenticity" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  43. Sen, Sumanti (10 April 2020). "'We Have Only One Positive Case': Police On 'Fake' Zee News Report Of 11 COVID-19 Positive Tablighis In Arunachal Pradesh". The Logical Indian. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  44. Chaudhuri, Pooja (3 July 2019). "Zee News falsely claims Mahua Moitra plagiarised her maiden Parliament speech". Alt News. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  45. "Mahua Moitra submits breach of privilege motion against Zee TV, LS speaker disallows it". Business Standard. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  46. "Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra didn't plagiarise: US writer of fascism article shuts trolls". India Today. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  47. "Delhi Election 2020 : Polling held peacefully, counting of votes on February 11". The Economic Times. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  48. Jha, Fiza (10 February 2020). "EVM tampering in Delhi across channels & Zee's Sudhir Chaudhury angry at voters". ThePrint. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  49. "वीडियो: एग्जिट पोल में AAP की जीत पर एंकर ने कहा- दिल्ली को देश टूटने की चिंता नहीं". Jansatta (in Hindi). 9 February 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  50. "'How does this qualify as journalism?': Twitter mocks Zee News and Sudhir Chaudhary for blaming Delhi voters after exit polls". Free Press Journal. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  51. "Cable operators ban Indian news channels in response to 'insulting' video about prime minister". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  52. "Nepal bans private Indian channels for airing 'false propaganda'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
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