Bangladesh is a small country located in South Asia. It is surrounded by India to the north, west, and east, while Burma (Myanmar) lies just to its southeast and China to its northeast.
Bangladesh also has a riverine border with India in the southwest and a territorial water dispute with Burma over the Farrakhan Channel. Since gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has been plagued by political turmoil, including a brutal nine-month war of independence in which an estimated 300 thousand were killed. Despite some progress since then, however, Bangladesh still ranks low among world nations for human development indices such as life expectancy, literacy, and per capita income.
In course of time, many renowned newspapers started their journey in Bangladesh. Some died and some survived. Here is the list of newspapers that have been published in Bangladesh:
1 Manabzamin
2 Sangbad
3 Janatar Dalil
4 Daily Ittefaq
5 The Daily Observer
6 Ajker Kagoj (Daily)
7 Amar Desh (Daily)
8 Prothom Alo (Daily)
9 Samakal (Daily)
10 Naya Diganta(Daily)
11 Inqilab (Daily)
12 Jugantor(Weekly / English)
13 Dinkal (E-Version of Jugantor)
14 Angichar Barta (Monthly)
15 Pragoitihasik Juba Samannay Parishad
16 Muktokantha (Bengali Monthly for Women)
17 Rupantor (Weekly General Knowledge Magazine in Bengali Language)
18 Gono Kantha(Daily / Bengali)
19 Akhon Samoy(Daily / Bengali)
20 Kaler Kantho(Daily / English)
21 The Daily Star
22 Transtatden.com (English news portal )
23 Sanglap (Website of BdNews
How do Bangladeshi newspapers influence public sentiment?
Bangladesh newspapers have a great impact on public sentiment. Newspapers act as a mirror of our society and play the role of watchdog for the government. They inform people about what is going on in their country, and also bring local issues to attention. Newspapers speak loudly about human rights violations, corruption, gender inequality, child labor etc., which are major problems in Bangladesh.
The information that newspapers supply plays an important part in forming public opinion. A newspaper has two types of readers: educated readers who read news from all over the world and come up with their views on what should be done; and illiterate or semi-literate readers who depend completely on newspapers to find out what is happening around them.
Written opinions published in newspapers have a great impact on policymaking. Those articles expose the weaknesses in governmental policies and bring them to the attention of policymakers, who then work to improve their delivery.
Newspapers help build effective communication between political leaders and the public through letters to the editor, which offer readers an opportunity to voice their opinions on important issues of concern. Such reader feedback can be a source of fresh ideas for politicians, policymakers, government officials, etc.
Newspapers are also a matter of pride for Bangladeshis living abroad. Many Bangladeshi expatriate communities regularly read Bangladesh newspapers online or purchase them from local bookstores in their countries. They may contribute their views on certain matters or send letters back home via the printed newspaper itself. The content published in Banglhi newspapers is very useful to those living in foreign countries.
Newspapers also help maintain social, cultural, and religious ties among Bangladeshis living abroad. Newspapers are an important source of information for parents who left Bangladesh to work elsewhere but want the latest news from home, as well as for children studying or working abroad who wish to stay informed of happenings at home. Such news items give immigrants a sense of pride and belonging.
Political parties consider newspapers very useful tools to get their message out to the public. Every political party has its own newspaper, which carries not only party views on current affairs but also advertisements related to recruitment drives for workers, donation requests, etc.,
Newspapers still have a symbiotic relationship with radio television stations in Bangladesh. Newspapers provide newscasts a lot of publicity, while radio and television stations help publicize newspaper supplements. The print media act as a reference for electronic channels.
Impact of Bangladeshi newspapers upon the govt. of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, with its 135 million people and the overwhelming majority of them living in rural areas, still comes under the category “big media markets.
Two main factors have influenced Bangladesh’s rapid growth as a market for print journalism: one is the mobile revolution, which has broken down barriers to newspaper distribution even in remote parts of the country; and two is ongoing political turbulence that regularly creates a need among ordinary citizens — but especially among opinion-makers — to find out from independent news sources what is going on.
Since independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has been undergoing political turbulence. This has created a high demand for reliable news that newspapers are able to supply because they have an extensive network throughout Bangladesh, including rural villages where there were few other sources of information.
A recent independent study showed that the Bangladeshi press is overwhelmingly critical of government policies; it favors neither a particular party nor any particular political group but has always been known for its independence. It has offered a forum for debating issues that have provided a solid foundation for democracy in the country.
Daily newspapers contain ample coverage of domestic and international news in their dailies. This includes politics, economy, world affairs including Indian sub-continent issues, sport, and entertainment news as well as features on arts, literature, and lifestyles.
Here are the top 10 Bangladeshi Newspapers:
Prothom Alo:
Prothom Alo is the most popular and widely read newspaper in Bangladesh. It is Bangladesh’s number one daily, capturing nearly 54 percent of the country’s total readership. The paper has extensive coverage of national news as well as a complete page on news from India and Pakistan. It also covers sports, arts, literature, science, technology, and entertainment.
Daily Naya Diganta:
This is the 2nd most popular newspaper in Bangladesh. It has a very wide readership throughout the country and offers its readers a combination of news, views, features, sports, entertainment, columnists, and cartoons catering to their interests. Daily Naya Diganta is Bangladesh’s first 24-hour news channel with an exclusive round-the-clock broadcast on TV and online. Their mission statement says: “To be a global leader in multimedia by providing accurate information that inspires people.”
Dainik Amardesh:
Dainik Amardesh is Bangladesh’s third most popular daily newspaper. It offers news on politics, economy, sports, lifestyle and entertainment.
The Daily Jugantor:
This newspaper ranks fourth among the top newspapers of Bangladesh. The Internet edition of this paper was first launched in October 1999 as East-West Media Group ventured into online news publishing. The print version of The Daily Jugantor was published from Dhaka on 28 April 2000.
Daily Inqilab:
Daily Inqilab is a major national Bengali newspaper in Bangladesh with 1.2 million readers across the country. Its readership has been increasing quickly since its first issue on 10 September 2011, as it is known for providing objective
Dainik Samakal:
Samakal is Bangladesh’s most popular newspaper with a very wide readership. It has been operating since 1982 and has grown from strength to strength in the region it operates. It covers politics, business, trade, social issues and entertainment.
Daily Amader Shomoy :
This is one of the leading newspapers among the Bengali community in London. Daily Amader Shomoy was first published on 27 October 2000 as an evening daily by Anjan Kumar Gain who had worked earlier for the leading English newspaper of Bangladesh, The Daily Star. The online version of the paper was launched on 13 July 2011 followed by the print version on 1 February 2012 both under Editor-in-Chief Matiur Rahman.
Daily Pratidin:
Launched on 25 April 2010, Daily Pratidin comes from the stable of Kalagacchi Media Ltd., which also publishes Bengali tabloid “Amader Shomoy”. It gained immense popularity for its quality content and massive advertisement campaign within a short period of time. This is one of the top-selling newspapers in Bangladesh. Daily New Nation:
This newspaper has made a new record with twenty thousand readers online at any point of time. It was launched initially as a weekly newspaper on 19 May 2011 and went into publishing as a daily in January 2012.
The number of daily subscribers has reached to over a hundred thousand. It covers news on politics, current affairs, sports as well as entertainment and lifestyle stories.
Daily Janakantha:
Janakantha Online is the official online website of Bangladesh’s largest circulated Bengali newspaper “Janakantha”. The site was established in 2008 which is regularly updated by staff members from Dainik Janakantha Newsroom. This website covers national and international news, special reports from correspondents, business section with market stock exchange updates, political issues through columnists and live blogs and chats sessions; besides this, it also has an entertainment section with the latest but not limited to movie reviews.
Dainik Sangram:
Daily Sangram is an online newspaper that covers all the news from Bangladesh as well as news in English for the Bangladeshi community abroad. The first issue of Daily Sangram came out on 11 August 2008; its website went live on 22 January 2012. The objective behind launching this newspaper was to provide up-to-date information and news to people from home and abroad.
The number of daily subscribers has reached to over a hundred thousand. It covers news on politics, current affairs, sports as well as entertainment and lifestyle stories.
Dhaka Tribune: Dhaka Tribune is an English language daily newspaper published from Dhaka, Bangladesh since 2012 by the firm Citycell Group (previously known as Pacific Construction). The paper started as a weekly edition, published every Sunday since 3 February 2012. The paper introduced another weekly edition, “Sunday Dhaka Tribune”, on 26 November 2012. Both editions contain editorial and op-ed pieces from various contributors; the newspaper prints selected articles from international wire services including Reuters and Agence France-Presse which are usually not readily available to readers in Bangladesh.
Daily observer:
The Daily Observer (TDO) is an online newspaper that brings news and views on the broadest range of subjects from across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It also covers international news of a very high quality that helps its readers to get a better understanding of events in different parts of the world. TDO is committed for impartiality among all issues including politics, business, and sport as well as presenting special features within the context of English culture past and present. The paper has offered a platform for new writers like bloggers who have become regular contributors to this newspaper.
Daily Sun:
The Daily Sun was established in 2001 by Chairman Zenith Media Network Ltd. Mr. Tareq Sultan is the Managing Director of Bangladesh’s largest circulated daily newspaper. It is the first English daily newspaper in Bangladesh to be published simultaneously from Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, and Bogra cities. Daily Sun has been a part of the Mediaworld family since January 2005 but during this time we have established our own identity among advertisers, readers and competitors.
Daily Aaj:
“The Daily Aaj” is an online newspaper that focuses on all aspects of business news and sports in Bangladesh with special reference to Chittagong City. The goal behind publishing Daily Aaj is to make it a source for all types of news in one place. The site was launched on 25 August 2008 as a weekly newspaper with limited contents but within few months “Aaj” transformed itself into a comprehensive source of news.
Daily Manabzamin:
“The Daily Manabzamin,” is an online newspaper that was first published on 1 June 2012 with the motto “News for you, by us”. The paper offers various sections which include national politics, sports, and entertainment with special reference to Chittagong city. It publishes news from National as well international level.
Daily Ittefaq: “Ittefaq” (Bengali: ইত্তেফাক) is one of Bangladesh’s leading Bengali daily newspapers. Along with Naya Diganta, it dominates the privately-owned media market in Bangladesh and has wide circulation outside Dhaka. Based in Chittagong, the newspaper is currently published from Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chittagong as a broadsheet.
In conclusion, it can be said that all the above newspapers have their own features to attract readers and thus they are among the top selling newspapers in Bangladesh.According to statistics, there are many English dailies published in Bangladesh which publish news not only for people from home and abroad but also for different sections of society. The number of online newspapers is increasing day by day at a very fast speed. So, it is expected that the number will continue to rise as time goes on.
The newspaper industry of Bangladesh is growing at a phenomenal pace as it has got its roots deep down within every stratum of our society. It has become an important part of our social life today while playing its role as a catalyst for creating awareness throughout the nation and making incomparable contributions towards democratic development.