Jump to content

Prothom Alo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Daily Prothom Alo)

Prothom Alo
First issue of Prothom Alo, 4 November 1998
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
OwnerTranscom Group
PublisherMatiur Rahman
Editor-in-chiefMatiur Rahman
Founded4 November 1998 (1998-11-04)
LanguageBangla and English
HeadquartersProgoti Insurance Bhobon, 20-21, Kawran Bazar, Dhaka - 1215, Bangladesh
CountryBangladesh
Circulation525,001 (January 2013)[1]
Website
Prothom Alo building

Prothom Alo (Bengali: প্রথম আলো) is a Bengali-language daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka. It is one of the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh.[2] According to the National Media Survey of 2018, conducted by Kantar MRB Bangladesh, Prothom Alo has a daily readership of more than 6.6 million online. According to Alexa Internet, an American web traffic analysis company, the online portal of Prothom Alo is the most visited Bengali website in the world.[3]

History

[edit]

Prothom Alo was founded on 4 November 1998. The circulation of Prothom Alo grew from an initial circulation of 42,000 to a circulation of a half million copies.[1] The newspaper distinguished itself by its investigations of acid attacks and violence against women and pushing for tougher laws against the sale of acid.[1][4] From press facilities located in Dhaka, Chittagong and Bogra, around 5,00,000 copies (as of March '2014) are circulated each day.[2] According to National Media Survey 2018, everyday 6.6 million people read the print edition of Prothom Alo. The claimed readership of the online and print edition of this newspaper is 7.6 million.[5]

A senior reporter of Prothom Alo, Rozina Islam, was detained for 5 hours in Bangladesh Secretariat after she went there to cover the health ministry on 17 May 2021. A case was filed against her by an official of Health Service Division under the Official Secrets Act.[6][7] After filing of the case she was taken to Shahbagh Police Station.[8] She was quizzed for 5 days in police remand.[9][10] She was released upon bail from Kashimpur prison on 23 May 2021.[11]

Digital platforms

[edit]

The online portal of Prothom Alo[12] is the number 1 Bangladeshi website in the world.[citation needed] This portal is accessed by 1.6 million visitors from 200 countries and territories across the globe with 60 million pageviews per month. The e-paper site of Prothom Alo is also the Number 1 e-paper Web site of Bangladesh.[13] [citation needed]

Editors

[edit]

Since its founding in 1998, Matiur Rahman is the chief editor of the newspaper.[14] He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2005 in the category of Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts.[15]

Mathematics Olympiad

[edit]

Prothom Alo helped to popularise Mathematics in Bangladesh. It organized Mathematics Olympiad for the first time in Bangladesh in 2003. It is one of the main sponsors and the main organizer of Bangladesh Mathematics Olympiad.[16]

Matiur Rahman, the editor of Prothom Alo

Recognition

[edit]

Prothom Alo has been carrying on a campaign against acid violence, drugs, HIV/AIDS, and religious terrorism. For his contribution to this fight, the Philippines-based Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation has described editor Matiur Rahman as 'the guiding force in the positive changes in society and culture' and in 2005 honored him with a Magsaysay Award, which is considered to be the 'Nobel Prize of Asia'.[15] Rahman donated the prize money in equal proportion to the three funds that the Prothom Alo Trust has set up to help and support acid-burnt women, anti-drug campaigns, and persecuted journalists. They won the 'Best in South Asia' award at the INMA Global Media Awards 2025 by the International News Media Association (INMA), the largest global platform of media organizations.[17]

Sister concerns

[edit]

Prothom Alo, which belongs to Mediastar Ltd., has the following sister concerns:

  • ABC Radio FM 89.2:[3] Commercial operation of ABC Radio FM 89.2 commenced from 7 January 2009. It is one of the most popular FM radio channels of Dhaka city. Besides Dhaka, it is also being aired from Chittagong and Cox's Bazar stations.
  • Prothoma Prokashon : Prothoma Prokashon is a publication house that started its journey in 2008. This publication house has been highly praised by different quarters for its quality publication works. Prothoma Prokashon received awards from Bangla Academy in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
  • Prothoma Boier Dunia: Prothoma Boier Dunia or Prothoma World of Books is a bookselling outlet with five stores in Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi.
  • Protichinta: Protichinta is a quarterly journal on social, economic, and political issues.
  • Kishor Alo : Kishor Alo, a monthly magazine for youngsters, started its journey in October 2013. Stories, novels, poems, quizzes, magic, adventures, traveling, science, jokes, and many other interesting features are published in this colorful monthly magazine. Kishor Alo also has a large number of volunteers all over Bangladesh.
  • Biggan Chinta : Biggan Chinta a monthly magazine for science lovers, started its journey from October 2016. It contains science writings (mainly about astrophysics and environmental science), interviews with scientists, science fiction and many others.
  • Chakri.com (former Prothom Alo Jobs): Chakri.com offers regular recruitment circulars and solutions, corporate training services, and career counseling.
Meril-Prothom Alo Award Giving Ceremony, Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC)

Controversy and criticism

[edit]

Editorial and content-related disputes

[edit]

In March 2023, Prothom Alo faced significant backlash over an online report published on March 26th about the rising cost of living during Ramadan. Although the report included interviews with affected individuals, including a child named Sabuj, an accompanying graphics card mistakenly used a picture of a 40-year-old day laborer named Zakir, creating a mismatch between the visual and the information. The organization removed the graphics card from its Facebook page within 30 minutes and issued a correction, acknowledging that the error occurred due to a "reporting mix-up". But on March 30th, a lawyer filed a case under sections 25, 31, and 35 of the Digital Security Act (DSA) against Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman, reporter Shamsuzzaman Shams (who was arrested on March 29th), and others, alleging that the content spread falsehoods, tarnished the state's image, and incited unrest.[18][19]

Amidst international outcry, Rahman received bail on April 3, 2023.[20] Amnesty International described this action as part of a broader pattern of misusing the DSA to harass critical media outlets.[21]

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, terming the publication of a report on the cost of living on Independence Day as provocative, publicly denounced Prothom Alo as an "enemy" in parliament.[22]

Prothom Alo has also faced controversy over content considered disrespectful to Islam. In 2010, the organization's published book, 'Gadya Cartoon' by Anisul Hoque, included a chapter that Islamists claimed satirized Quranic verses. Examples include altering the praise of Allah in Surah Al-Fatihah to reference Razakars (collaborators in the 1971 Bangladesh genocide) and mocking the description of paradise in Surah An-Naba in crude language. Critics influenced by Islam, including conservative media, issued legal notices demanding its withdrawal, accusing Prothom Alo of distorting the holy book to undermine religious values, although no formal resolution on this matter has been reported.[23]

Separately, in 2007, a cartoon in the Prothom Alo group's 'Alpin' magazine depicted mockery over a name named after Muhammad, sparking nationwide protests by Islamists; the government was forced to impose a temporary ban on the magazine, and the organization eventually issued an apology. The cartoonist was jailed for six months and two days, he was arrested 18 September 2007[24] and released 20 March 2008.[25][26][27]


In 2007, an editorial by Matiur Rahman accused the BNP-Jamaat alliance of sponsoring corruption, terrorism (including a grenade attack that killed 22 people), and electoral fraud, which drew criticism from Islamists and some terrorist organizations.[28]

In analyses from 2023-2025, media outlets like Somoy News and Bangladesh Pratidin have characterized Prothom Alo's reporting as anti-government biased, citing distortions in the narrative of events and a purported shift towards leaning to the BNP after the 2024 uprising. However, such claims are occurring at a time when there is evidence of government pressure on independent media.[29]

2012 HC injunction on deyal controversy

[edit]

In 2012, a High Court bench issued an injunction on the publication of Humayun Ahmed's political fiction Deyal at daily Prothom Alo's weekly Shahitto Samwiki on a Friday. The bench of Justice also asked the government and the writer to explain why they should not be directed to correct a part of the fiction for presenting a 'distorted' version of the assassination of the country's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his minor son Sheikh Russel. The controversial part of the fiction was published by Bangla daily Prothom Alo in its 11 May issue. The chapters portrayed Khandker Moshtaque in a manner that he did not know about the killings beforehand.[30]

Tragedy at the festival

[edit]

On November 1, 2019, the anniversary celebration of Kishor Alo's Dhaka region was taking place on the campus of Dhaka Residential Model College in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. During the event, Naimul Abrar, a ninth-grade student of the same school, was electrocuted and died.[31] After investigating the incident, the police submitted a charge sheet to the court, stating that the electrocution occurred due to the negligence of the Kishor Alo authorities.[32] Following this, on January 16, 2020, the court issued arrest warrants against ten individuals, including Matiur Rahman, the editor of Prothom Alo, and Anisul Hoque, the editor of Kishor Alo.[33]

Controversial information on militancy and attack on the office

[edit]

Prothom Alo was accused of labeling Islamists as militants.[34][35] Following the publication of such controversial news, on November 24, 2024, some Islamic organizations held a protest and demonstration under the banner of "People of Bangladesh" in front of the headquarters of the daily Prothom Alo at Karwan Bazar.[36][37] That evening, miscreants attempted to attack Prothom Alo's office in Chattogram.[38]

The next day, in Rajshahi, individuals creating disorder under the banner of "Alem Ulama and Tawhidi Janata, Rajshahi" carried out a procession, removed the signboard of the office, and set it on fire. In Bogura, bricks and stones were thrown at Prothom Alo's office, and its signboard was vandalized.[39][40] Across different regions, Prothom Alo employees received threats and were subjected to verbal abuse.[41][42]

When asked about the matter, the executive editor of the newspaper dismissed all allegations as baseless and false. In his view, making sweeping criticisms without fact-based analysis was an attack on independent journalism and paved the way for future assaults. According to the responsible individuals at Prothom Alo, the protests appeared to be planned and deliberate.[39][43][44]

The Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) described the siege, attacks, and vandalism at Prothom Alo's office as a severe attack on press freedom.[45][46] The New York-based organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged a swift investigation into the threats of violence against Prothom Alo employees.[47][48] The organization of Bangladeshi journalists working in international media, Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media (BJIAM), expressed deep concern over such protests.[49][50]

Alleged ties with the Awami League

[edit]

Prothom Alo's parent company, Transcom Group's CEO, Simeen Rahman, was accused of attempting to bribe Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with 1 billion BDT to suppress multiple cases of murder, stock market fraud, and deception.[51][52] She was also alleged to have held three meetings with Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban to have these cases dismissed.[53]Asif Nazrul also critiqued Prothom Alo and The Daily Star alleging biased and selective news publishing attitude regarding politics.[54]

Fraud assistance allegation

[edit]

In December 2024, Simin Rahman of Transcom Group was accused by his younger sister of embezzling her deceased father's shares through non-judicial stamp fraud.[55][56][57] On 18 May 2025, investigative reporter Elias Hossain published a report on YouTube, stating that Simin Rahman was unethically assisted by Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman and Daily Star's Mahfuz Anam in this matter along with doing false news reports.[58][59][60] Zulkarnain Saer Khan also criticised Matiur Rahman as well as Prothom Alo and Mahfuz Anam for involving in this matter.[61]

Fraud news against Babar

[edit]

Prothom Alo published freud news against Lutfozzaman Babar in the time of Awami League.[62]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Current Circulation". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Top 10 Newspapers of Bangladesh (With Pictures)". yourarticlelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Top Sites in Bangladesh". Alexa. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Prothom Alo Editor Gets Magsaysay Award". Voice of America. 1 August 2005. Archived from the original on 13 July 2009.
  5. ^ [National Media Survey 2018, SIRIUS Marketing and Social Research Ltd. (Associate of IMRB International)]
  6. ^ "Rozina Islam faces charge under official secrets law". The Business Standard. 18 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  7. ^ "I am a victim of unjust acts: Rozina Islam". The Business Standard. 18 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Prothom Alo journalist Rozina taken to police station after 5 hours' confinement at Secretariat". The Daily Star. 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Will continue journalism, says a determined Rozina". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Rozina Islam gets prestigious award for journalism". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Rozina freed on bail after 7 days". The Daily Star. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Prothom Alo | Latest online Bangla world news bd | Sports photo video live". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Prothom Alo ePaper | Bangla Newspaper, World news | eProthomalo". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Bangladesh through Matiur Rahman of Prothom Alo's eyes". Adgully.com. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  15. ^ a b Rahman, Matiur (2 September 2005). "When Media Takes a Stand for Social Change: The Experience of Prothom Alo in Bangladesh". Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
  16. ^ "Bangladesh IMO team 2007". Bangladesh Mathematics Olympiad Committee. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
  17. ^ Khan, Azwaj (23 May 2025). "Prothom Alo wins Best in South Asia award". Prothomalo. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  18. ^ Desk, Tribune (30 March 2023). "Case filed against Prothom Alo editor under DSA". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 8 November 2025. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ Report, Star (30 March 2023). "2 ministers, AL leaders slam Prothom Alo over report". The Daily Star. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  20. ^ "Prothom Alo editor granted bail in a case under DSA". Prothomalo. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  21. ^ "Deepening crisis of press freedom in Bangladesh". Amnesty International. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  22. ^ Sarkar, Alisha Rahaman (10 April 2023). "Bangladesh PM calls newspaper 'enemy of the people' after journalists arrested". The Independent. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  23. ^ "'Prothom Alo' group's mischief against Islam". daily-sun. 24 January 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  24. ^ "Cartoonist jailed in Bangladesh". 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  25. ^ "Cartoonist released in Bangladesh". 20 March 2008. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  26. ^ "Violence over Bangladesh cartoon". BBC. 21 September 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  27. ^ Committee to Protect Journalists (21 March 2008). "Cartoonist freed". cpj.org. New York. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  28. ^ Pratidin, Bangladesh (17 February 2025). "What lies behind the mask of Prothom Alo, Daily Star?". en.bd-pratidin.com. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  29. ^ Desk, Somoy (1 January 1970). "Prothom Alo's biased journalism raises eyebrows". Somoy News (in Bengali). Retrieved 8 November 2025. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  30. ^ "HC injunction on publication of Humayun's novel Deyal". New Age. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  31. ^ "Dhaka Residential Model College student electrocuted at Kishor Alo function". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  32. ^ "Arrest warrant against Prothom Alo editor, 9 others". Prothom Alo. 18 January 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Arrest warrant against Prothom Alo editor raises concern". The Business Standard. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  34. ^ প্রথম আলোর বিরুদ্ধে ভয়ংকর অভিযোগ, কিন্তু কেন? | Prothom Alo | kaler Kantho (Video) (in Bengali). 4 December 2024.
  35. ^ আপনার সন্তান জঙ্গি হচ্ছে না তো? [Your child isn't becoming a terrorist, is he?]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 20 July 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  36. ^ "Brawl outside Prothom Alo office, sound grenades used". jagonews24.com. pp. jagonews24.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  37. ^ "Police disperse protesters in front of Prothom Alo office". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  38. ^ "Chaos in front of Prothom Alo; cops drive away demonstrators". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 25 November 2024. Archived from the original on 24 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  39. ^ a b প্রথম আলো-ডেইলি স্টারের সামনে বিক্ষোভের কারণ কী? যা জানা যাচ্ছে [What is the reason for the protest in front of Prothom Alo-Daily Star? What is known]. BBC News (in Bengali). 27 November 2024. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  40. ^ "Prothom Alo's Rajshahi office vandalised". Prothom Alo. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  41. ^ "Prothom Alo Rajshahi office vandalized, signboard set on fire". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  42. ^ "Prothom Alo Rajshahi, Bogura offices attacked". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 26 November 2024. Archived from the original on 26 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  43. ^ Chakraborty, Debdutta (27 November 2024). "Won't be bogged down, says Prothom Alo editor as Bangladesh's leading dailies come under attack". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  44. ^ "Why Bangladesh protesters are targeting popular newspaper, Prothom Alo". Firstpost. 26 November 2024. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  45. ^ পত্রিকা অফিসে ভাংচুর বা বন্ধের জন্য চাপ সহ্য করবে না অন্তর্বর্তীকালীন সরকার: নাহিদ [Interim government will not tolerate pressure to vandalize or close newspaper offices: Nahid]. Voice of America (in Bengali). 25 November 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  46. ^ "Vandalism at newspaper offices, pressure to close newspapers down won't be tolerated: Nahid". The Business Standard. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  47. ^ "Rein in mob justice with iron hand: Editors' Council tells govt". Prothom Alo. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  48. ^ "Take strict action against mob justice". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 27 November 2024. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  49. ^ "CPJ for probe into threats against media houses". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 27 November 2024. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  50. ^ "CPJ for probe to protests outside The Daily Star, Prothom Alo offices, vandalism at Prothom Alo Rajshahi office". Prothom Alo. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  51. ^ "'Simeen bribed Hasina with Tk100cr to silence legal charges' | | Bangladesh Pratidin". Bangladesh Pratidin. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  52. ^ "'Simeen Rahman bribed Hasina with Tk100cr to hush up cases'". Daily Sun (Bangladesh). 3 February 2025. Archived from the original on 6 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  53. ^ "Transcom disputes bribery allegations, but questions remain | | Bangladesh Pratidin". Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). 7 February 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  54. ^ "প্রথম আলো ও ডেইলি স্টারের ওপর ক্ষোভ ঝাড়লেন আসিফ নজরুল" [Asif Nazrul expresses his anger at Prothom Alo and Daily Star]. কালের কণ্ঠ (in Bengali). 26 June 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  55. ^ "ট্রান্সকমের দলিল জালিয়াতি". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  56. ^ "Forgery in Transcom documents". Daily Sun. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  57. ^ "RJSC papers doctored with fake stamps". The Financial Express. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  58. ^ জনকণ্ঠ, দৈনিক. "তিন মাসের অনুসন্ধান শেষ করেছে টিম ফিফটিন মিনিটস: ইলিয়াস হোসেন". দৈনিক জনকণ্ঠ || Daily Janakantha. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  59. ^ Elias Hossain (18 May 2025). এ যেন কেয়ামতের আলামত! #elias_hossain. Retrieved 21 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  60. ^ "জালিয়াতি করে ৩০ হাজার কোটি টাকার সম্পদ কব্জা করেন ট্রান্সকমের সিমিন | Transcom | Prothom alo". Kaler Kantho YouTube page. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  61. ^ "সিমিন রহমানের ট্রান্সকম গ্রুপকে মাফিয়া বললেন সাংবাদিক জুলকারনাইন". Kaler Kantho. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  62. ^ "বাবরের জীবন থেকে ১৭ বছর কেড়ে নেয় 'প্রথম আলো'". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 20 February 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
[edit]
  • Media related to Prothom Alo at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website Edit this at Wikidata
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prothom_Alo&oldid=1321030873"