Punjab Government Orders Zee News Cease Out Amid Election Coverage
The Punjab government has blacked out Zee News without prior notice, following the channel's critical coverage of the state government during the Lok Sabha elections.
Sumit Rawat
Punjab Govt Orders to Cease Activity of Zee News
The Punjab government has enforced a blackout of the Hindi news channel Zee News throughout the state. According to Zee News, this decision was made without prior notification. While viewers can still access other channels from the Zee Media group, Zee News remains unavailable. Initially, reports suggested that all Zee Media channels, including those in Hindi, English, and Punjabi, were blacked out, but this appears not to be the case.
The blackout follows Zee News' coverage of the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, during which the channel highlighted public issues and criticized the state government. This move, ordered by the Punjab government under AAP Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has sparked accusations of dictatorial behavior. Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL), which operates 14 television news channels, 5 digital news channels, 7 news apps, and 32 digital properties, maintains that its journalism is fact-based and unbiased.
