“If one's journalism is good, it is controversial by nature.”
THE FOUNDERS
Ratna, Founder Editor
Ratna is a Delhi-NCR-based journalist with about 20 years of experience in reporting, anchoring and producing news shows in New Delhi, Kolkata, and Muscat (Oman) for popular news outlets. As a TV reporter, she covered primetime news for many years. She worked at India Today, ABP Group, Times of India, etc. She has written for PARI, The Indian Express, The Times of India, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, and Asian Age. She co-authored a book on Greece: Into The Sunset: Rediscovering Greece. The Kolkata-born journalist is also a documentary filmmaker.
Nadim Siraj, Founder Editor
Nadim is an author, journalist, and columnist who spent his career collecting compelling stories across India, West Asia, Africa, and Europe. He worked at The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, The Statesman, and Muscat Daily (Oman). Based in Delhi-NCR, Kolkata-born Nadim wrote the 2019 book Secret Notes From Iran: Diary Of An Undercover Journalist and co-authored Into The Sunset: Rediscovering Greece with Ratna. As a journalist, he covered the economic collapse in Greece, poverty in Kenya, life in Egypt, post-Apartheid South Africa, and Nepalese life under Maoist control.
What is Empire Diaries?
It is a news analysis and commentary platform created by Indian journalists Ratna and Nadim Siraj. It doesn’t cover news as routine, isolated events. Instead, it covers the hidden agenda behind the news you see – the agenda of foreign powers and overseas corporations, which we call modern-day empires, that try to run our lives from far away. Empire Diaries believes news is not what you are told, but what you are not.
Why is Empire Diaries unique?
It is a non-political media outlet that brings news analyses, research, and commentaries about how global corporations or globalist elites directly and indirectly try to influence Bharat’s economy, profit from it, and impact the lives of people. Essentially, its journalism is unique in Bharat. It has no political leanings, and doesn’t cover routine news and events.
How is its journalism presented?
Empire Diaries presents its journalism in the form of videos, articles, columns, interviews, commentaries, satirical pieces, and photo series. The objective is to connect the dots behind seemingly unconnected events, and to present the larger picture. Its work is published in English and Bangla. You can follow the work on the Empire Diaries YouTube channel and website. The work can also be accessed on Rumble and Bitchute.
Why the name ‘Empire Diaries’?
‘Empire’ represents modern-day foreign corporations and globalist elites who try to control or influence the lives of Indians and Bharat’s economy. ‘Diaries’ represents a journal of our brand of journalism for future generations to study.
What is the objective of Empire Diaries?
Empire Diaries, through its information activism, wants to awaken the Indian public about the need to peacefully and constructively free up Bharat’s economy from foreign manipulation, and promote domestic businesses, indigenous talent, and local leadership for truly independent economic growth. The platform does not endorse xenophobia towards foreigners, other countries, and their cultures. Instead, it supports healthy exchange of ideas across borders. Its focus is to make the Indian public realise that they should support decentralised growth and cut loose from foreign manipulation.
How Empire Diaries was born
The idea behind Empire Diaries sprang to life when Ratna and Nadim, as mainstream journalists, noticed a problem with the news people consume. There’s a fleet of large media outlets, but none of them report critically on corporate imperialism, the root of all problems in economically unstable or economically targeted countries. Also, the mainstream press only covers daily news as unconnected events, lacking context. These two information gaps sparked the need for Empires Diaries – a unique news analysis platform.
Who are these ‘modern-day empires’?
We can’t precisely name them. We shouldn’t, because we don’t want to defame them. Overall, they are a large, dispersed group of enormously powerful business families from the planet’s East to West, North to South, who own or influence the following tools of population control: big banks, multilateral financial institutions, large MNCs, major conglomerations, foreign corporate groups, intergovernmental bodies, trusts and endowments, influential universities, various governments, political units, military dictatorships, monarchies, religious bodies, lobby groups, diplomatic groupings, terror groups, funded revolutions and coups, popular movements, cultural trends, international philanthropy, labour unions, agents and agencies, top foundations and NGOs, brand ambassadors, celebrities, and influential individuals.
In simple words, modern-day empires are the owners of big businesses that seek to run our lives. They own stakes in super-cartels such as Big Banks, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Big Media, Big Oil, Big Food, Agri-Business, EdTech, Real Estate, etc. They are the modern versions of the British East India Company or Standard Oil.
Why the mainstream media doesn’t cover the hidden agenda
Legacy media or mainstream media prefer covering news as isolated, unconnected events. They cover all subjects under the sun, but they don’t go deeper to present the larger picture of how modern-day empires try to control our lives.
There’s a reason why they can’t present the larger picture. They’re under a financial obligation not to do so. Corporations give them ad money to advertise products and services. Corporate-backed governments give them ad money to advertise policies, feats, and announcements. Corporate-supported interest groups give them funding to control the narrative of the news.
Simply put, corporates pay them through multiple routes. Naturally, the mainstream media are obligated not to cover the hidden agenda of empires.
Why Empire Diaries can cover the hidden agenda
What about Empire Diaries? It doesn’t take ad money and donations from foreign influencers and foreign entities. It is open to the idea of surviving on donations from domestic funders and local businesspeople who promise editorial freedom, and who are decentralised by nature. As a result, Empire Diaries has zero obligation to powerful foreign players – or modern-day empires – who like to influence news. We can freely cover news by connecting the dots and giving the larger picture of what happens around us.
That was the whole idea of launching this platform!
David, or the Tiananmen tank man!
If you’re reading this, you’re welcome to help us survive and grow whichever way you can. At Empire Diaries, we’re the proverbial David, looking up at the towering Goliaths (modern-day empires and their allies). Or say, we’re like the Tank Man from the iconic Tiananmen Massacre episode. We try to ensure our modest work is a statement to the powers-that-be, and an eye-opener for the public. And to be heard far and wide, we need support from our well-wishers.
You can back our against-the-tide journalism with financial support, technical help, logistical backing, research support, legal coverage, etc. – whichever way you want to assist us, you’re welcome. You can send us an email (writetoempirediaries@gmail.com) or you can drop us a WhatsApp message (+919821045739), and we will be glad to connect back with you.
You can also send across your contribution directly to our bank account:
Empire Diaries
HDFC Bank, India
Current Account: 50200078483948
IFSC Code: HDFC0000028
Swift Code: HDFCINBBCAL
Ratna/Nadim: +919821045739
Email: writetoempirediaries@gmail.com
‘Goliath-slayer David’, or say, the ‘Tiananmen tank man’, is waiting to hear from you!