More than £2m of positive Sikh coverage secured by Sikh PA in 12 months – Annual Review

Sikh PA are a project powered by Everythings 13. Other projects of Everythings 13 include Basics of Sikhi, Mighty Khalsa and Kiddie Sangat. Sikh PA were formed in last 2014 with the aim of connecting the media with Sikh community. Donations towards the work of Sikh PA can be made here – http://www.everythings13.org/make-a-donation.

Below you will find details of our 2019 annual review. We would like to thank the RBS Sikh network, Punjab 2000 and all of the other volunteers that helped make this event what it was. See images of the event here.

£2.35m of positive PR coverage was secured by the Sikh Press Association for the benefit of the Sikh community over the past 12 months (April 2018-April 2019).

The figure was announced at the organisation’s 2019 annual review on April 30th, which listed the main activities and major stories over the past year that the Sikh Press Association has worked on, as well as testimonials from those they have worked with.

The figure of £2.35m included only positive Sikh PA facilitated media coverage, and did not include Sikh PA’s work in other areas, such as the #FreeJaggiNow case, media advice for individuals/organisations and liaising with media to ensure accuracy/balance on Sikh stories.

The PR value is based on the amount of TV/radio airtime, news column inches and social media traction gained (both on our own platform and other outlets) on positive Sikh news stories facilitated by Sikh PA between April 14^th 2018 and April 30^th 2019. This is then converted into a monetary figure based upon how much it would cost to get this kind of coverage through advertising/marketing. Using conservative estimates, Sikh PA have been advised to value half a page column inches at £1000, TV airtime at £20,000 per 30 seconds, and £2000 per 30 seconds of radio airtime. The PR value will also include organisational costs, such as arranging internationally coordinated events, which are a feature of Langar Week and Chabeel Day.

A more comprehensive breakdown of what the PR value is based on can be found below.

The annual review, held in London, was the fourth time that Sikh PA have held an annual review, to present work to the public, something seen as vital to do as a community funded organisation (funded by charity Everythings 13).

The evening’s events started with an introduction into the organisation by Sikh PA co-founder Rupinder Kaur, with Sikh PA press officers Jasveer Singh and Sukh Singh then taking over to talk through highlights of the year.

Rupinder Kaur opened with an explanation of why Sikh PA was established and its principle aims, which are:

1. To raise the Sikh profile
2. To empower sangat with media skills
3. To be a media source for facts, images and articulate speakers and other resources

Sikh PA senior press officer Jasveer Singh, who is one of the original members of the team, introduced a short video showing a selection of the media coverage that Sikh PA had secured over the previous year. This ranged from the overturn of the amateur boxing beard ban to regional Chabeel Day coverage to providing insight into Sikh charity seva (selfless service) regarding the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Jaspreet Singh, the first speaker of the night.

Junior press officer Sukh Singh – who joined the organisation in 2017 – introduced the first guest speaker: Jaspreet Singh. Jaspreet Singh is a well-known figure in the British Sikh community, with a chardi kala character that leaves a lasting impression. He first approached Sikh PA when he was elected as the first non-white student president of Birmingham City University, where he is an international student from Punjab. Sikh PA arranged media coverage of this on BBC radio as an example of achievement through Sikh ethos, with Jaspreet Singh adamant his commitment to and love for Sikhi have helped him achieve success. Jaspreet has been a regular guest on the BBC ever since. Talking about his interaction with Sikh PA, he said:

‘When you are young you think that these news spaces are quite far away and you can’t      reach them. Thanks to WaheGuru we’ve got organisation like Sikh PA who help us reach these channels… now they don’t seem so far away.’

The previous day, Jaspreet Singh had been to the US embassy, where he was allowed to enter wearing his kirpan. However, when he had visited previously approximately a year ago, he was not allowed to enter with his kirpan (small sword worn by initiated Sikhs – Khalsa). He contacted Sikh PA, who in turn contacted the embassy. This is an example of some of the behind-the-scenes work that Sikh PA does, attempting to resolve issues before they become media stories. As Sikh PA’s connections with sangat individuals and organisations have grown and deepened, we are contacted more regularly by Amritdharis (initiated Sikhs – Khalsa) especially who have been discriminated against because of their kakkars (items of religious wear for Khalsa, often called the 5 Ks). In such instances Sikh PA will advise the organisation that are discriminating against Sikhs why this is an issue, whilst also putting forward the case to any of the Sikh legal advocacy organisations that regularly take on cases of kakkar discrimination.

You can watch Jaspreet’s contribution in full here: http://https://youtu.be/3n4lPsnrA_g

Next, Sukh Singh spoke about Sikh PA’s role following the attack on the Gurdwara in Edinburgh in August 2018. Within an hour of being notified, Sikh PA were in contact with Edinburgh sangat (Sikh congregation), and Sukh Singh was the first person to notify BBC News. Alongside an article on the Sikh PA website, the organisation liaised between the Scottish sangat, mainstream media organisations and Police Scotland to verify facts for the media and notify them of any new updates. Sukh explained that because the story had been covered online in the morning, it was easier for the BBC Scotland team to cover it on the lunchtime news, which in turn made it easier for them to feature it in the evening news. This was the value of a rapid response from the community and illustrates the benefit of having full time press officers who could spend the entire morning talking to already-established media contacts. Throughout the day, numerous rumours started circulating on social media and one publication incorrectly reported the arrest of a teenager; both of these were swiftly rebutted by Sikh PA and prevented from being picked up by larger media outlets.

Jasveer Singh explained some other big stories that the team had worked on, notably BBC news coverage around the Sikh kirpan and the developments in the #FreeJaggiNow case. Regarding the kirpan story, which received a mixed reaction from the community, Jasveer Singh explained that journalists regularly indicate they wish to cover the issue and that the community is better reflected when this is done in conjunction with a sangat supported organisation such as Basics of Sikhi.

On the #FreeJaggiNow story, Jasveer Singh discussed how it was increasingly difficult to secure media coverage because of the lack of any due process – and therefore significant updates – in the case. At the previous annual review, he announced the Sikh PA Free Jaggi Now updates page had 24,000 words. One year later, the page is still updated regularly and is now at 41,000 words (www.sikhpa.com/freejagginow/) – the equivalent of 500 words per week since Jaggi was detained. The Sikh PA press officers regularly feedback to Scottish media and have asked politicians from Labour’s John McDonnell to the Conservative’s Eddie Hughes to comment on the case at various events. On a personal level, Jasveer Singh pointed out the work on the #FreeJaggiNow case is often draining, frustrating and upsetting for all involved, the toll of which should not be dismissed.

Shuranjeet Singh, the third speaker of the evening.

The next speaker, Shuranjeet Singh, founded Tarakī – an organisation which operates in the Punjabi and Sikh community to discuss approaches towards mental health issues. He started off with some observations about the work of Sikh PA, saying:

‘Fundamentally, what I see Sikh pa’s work as doing is providing Sikh communities and Sikh individuals with a sense of agency over how our narrative is conveyed in wider society.’

From reclaiming agency, Shuranjeet said that Sikh PA has the potential to develop a sense of ownership over narratives that were previously determined perhaps outside of the community. He highlighted the media training which Sikh PA offers to all Sikh organisations as a useful guide to navigating a ‘potentially deceiving media landscape’. Crucially, he emphasised how they were free, so that socio-economic status did not determine accessibility to the chance for developing vital media skills.

You can watch Shuranjeet’s contribution in full here: https://youtu.be/3n4lPsnrA_g
Following Shuranjeet’s testimonial, Jasveer and Sukh examined some other stories which Sikh PA had been involved in which would NOT be included in the PR value. These more serious stories represent Sikh PA’s work in supporting the addressing of community issues, hand-in-hand with relevant Sikh bodies. Jasveer explained the story of the police raids on the houses of five Sikh activists all linked to raising awareness of Jagtar Singh’s imprisonment. There were other serious stories which Sikh PA had worked with the community on, including the imprisonment of three Sikhs in Punjab for the possession of literature, and alcoholism in the Sikh community.

Despite these stories, the only front page exclusive in the British press this past year was the story of the first Sikh soldier in the Coldstream Guards failing a drugs test. Sukh Singh spoke of his frustration at the way in which The Sun had reported the story, and of the Sikh PA reaction to it, which not only contextualised the sensationalist front page but challenged The Sun on why it had not covered far more grave Sikh issues.

Over the past year, the Sikh PA had organised and hosted two discussion forums, both of which received excellent feedback. One in May 2018 asked: ‘Sikhs in Politics: How can it work?’ while another in February 2019 explored British Sikh history as part of the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Like previous events, a lot of effort was spent liaising with a wide range of community figures to secure knowledgeable panellists, all of whom offered rich contributions to the debates. Sikh PA is constantly open-minded to the topics suggested by sangat (if you have a topic you think should be discussed, contact us!) and we would always welcome any support for us to continue providing these events free of charge (such as a venue or financial contribution).

Neelam Kaur, the third speaker of the night.

The third guest speaker of the evening was Neelam Kaur, who founded the female reproductive health group Cysters. She spoke movingly about the support Sikh PA had offered her – not just in reclaiming a narrative for the sensitive issues Cysters but personally. She said:

‘To have these conditions sexualised by British media just for a story is very difficult… It was nice to finally reclaim a narrative for myself – of the work we actually do.’

She spoke about the continuous trolling she has faced for her work from within the community, including caste-based slurs. Throughout this, she said that Sikh PA’s support had been ‘a very big thing for me – and it’s kept Cysters going.’

You can watch Neelam’s contribution in full here: https://youtu.be/4YFlgzYvTxo.
Jasveer Singh briefly explained other behind the scenes work which Sikh PA had done. This ranged from questioning Twitter (unsuccessfully) on why they blocked a website on the Sikh genocide in 1984 to dialogue with sangat in Coventry regarding media coverage around a Sikh school issue to further collaboration with the Faith and Belief Forum. Work in such areas is largely unseen but takes up lots of time but is an important part of what Sikh PA do.

The final speaker of the night, Amandeep Singh.

The final guest speaker of the evening was Amandeep Singh, a Sikh educator and well known sevadaar for his work with several different organisations. He opened his talk with the story of how Sikh PA contributed to the overturning of the amateur boxing beard ban and how this illustrated the power of media pressure over earlier political and legal efforts. He described how many in the Sikh community were good at educating Sikhs about Sikhi but the community needed outfits such as Sikh PA to communicate who Sikhs are to other people:

‘If we are to grow as a Panth… and do the mandate which has been given to us by Guru Gobind Singh Ji – which is to serve the entire world, to save the world…. Then the world needs to know who we are!’

Amandeep volunteers with SWAT who distribute free food as part of langar seva in central London, where he has the same conversation over and over again, telling people who Sikhs are. He spoke about his own opportunities secured through Sikh PA, which included a radio explanation at the beginning of langar week which caught the attention of BBC London presenter Asad Ahmed who the arranged for TV coverage of it. He stressed the importance of the dedication of the Sikh PA team with the tribute: ‘You can give someone a salary, but you can’t give them heart. You can’t buy that kind of love.’

You can watch Amandeep’s contribution in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Oc8nC4CfU

Unfortunately, due to timing, there was only a short Q&A where members of the audience asked about the work and challenged faced by the Sikh PA team. The Sikh PA are planning a more interactive Q&A opportunity for sangat to ask us questions about our work in the coming weeks.

Sikh PA aim to be a sangat led organisation. If you have any questions about our work please do not hesitate to get in touch. Email media@sikhpa.com.

As always, the Sikh PA thank the Everythings 13 team for powering our project, the sadh sangat for their absolutely integral support and most importantly Akaal Purakh VaheGuru for allowing us the opportunity to work for the panth and providing us with any perceived success we may have. We ask all the aforementioned for forgiveness for the all the mistakes we have made and will continue to make as we move forward with providing publicity for the panth.

PR Value breakdown

NOTE – this can be seen discussed at the Annual Review here: https://youtu.be/F04bRydbxGI (1.15.40).

Based on conservative figures, the estimated PR value for Sikh PA campaigns and positive media coverage =

• Bandi Chor Divas 2018: £2,000

This is based on direct facilitation for coverage of Sikh events, mentioning Sikhs to also include info on Bandi Chor Divas, as well as the time and effort spent directing journalists to online guidance on the historical story of Bandi Chor Divas and its significance for Sikhs. Sikh PA’s work Bandi Chor Divas is often a difficult to set a PR value on as it’s largely based on journalists using information from our informational webpage (www.sikhpa.com/thesikhdiwali) which is sent out en masse to media, making it impossible to keep track of who uses it.

• Chabeel Day 2018: £300,000

Sikh PA coordinated local sangat events across the globe (India, Malaysia, UK, Canada, https://twitter.com/SikhPA/status/1008000829671034881/photo/1France) on one weekend to generate greater media traction of Chabeel and the significance of Shaheedi (martyrdom) in Sikhi. Sikh PA secured extensive online, radio coverage as well as a TV news report shown on BBC Midlands Today. Examples of the coverage include regional coverage in East London, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Birmingham, national online Asian diaspora news in Canada, India based online coverage, Three Counties radio and more.

• Langar Week 2018: £700,000

The fifth year of langar week was, with Mahraaj’s kirpa, a huge success, with events in seven countries and TV coverage on five days out of seven (ITV Devonshire, BBC London news, BBC One CBBC news, BBC Look North Yorkshire, CBC Canada) with many articles and regional radio coverage across the BBC. There was also significant traction made from social media influencers and public figures Simran Randhawa and Neville Southall discussing #LangarWeek on their own platforms.

• Vaisakhi 2018 and 2019: £350,000

Vaisakhi is often incorrectly described by the media as the Sikh new year, which neglects its true significance as the founding of the Khalsa in 1699. The Sikh PA engaged in proactive and reactive monitoring of this as well as providing content for TV coverage on multiple channels, online platforms (including Huffington Post Canada) and on radio. NOTE – Vaisakhi coverage this year included part of April 2018 and all of April 2019 (up to April 30^th).

• Other positive news stories: approximately £1,000,000

These ranged from coverage of Panjab FA to Basics of Sikhi discussing the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan on BBC radio (along with many other discussions available to hear on our youtube channel such as the Binti Project’s collaboration with Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara and more) to Hola Mohalla, Sikh views on the removal of boxing’s beard ban on several different outlets, insight into Sikh issues faced from Hindutva fascism, several interviews on Voices of Islam radio to provide a Sikh perspective on faith discussions, Khalsa Aid on NDTV, Christmas Day langar feeds and much, much more.

Sikh PA expenditure was a total of £65,000 – including the salaries of the two press officers and use of other Everythings13 employees such as graphic designers and video editors.

Hence, Sikh PA secured over £36 of positive coverage for each £1 of expenditure.