Prothom Alo has received recognition as South Asia’s best media outlet for its courageous journalism during the July mass uprising, young reader’s engagement, and various subsequent initiatives. This achievement is the result of the collective efforts of all its staff members.
Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman made these remarks at a programme held to celebrate Prothom Alo receiving three awards at the ‘INMA Global Media Awards 2025’. It was held at the Prothom Alo office on Wednesday.
At the event, the editor described the journalism done during the July uprising as Prothom Alo’s best work in its 26-year history.
The International News Media Association (INMA) presents the INMA Global Media Awards annually. This year, Prothom Alo received three awards. The first one is ‘Best in South Asia’ award.
The second one is the first prize in ‘Best Idea to Encourage Reader Engagement (national brand)’ category, and the third one is the third prize for its ‘National Health Olympiad’ initiative in the ‘Best Use of an Event to Build a News Brand (national brand)’ category.
The Global Media Awards are presented as recognition for innovation and best practices in the news media industry worldwide. This is the highest international recognition for media outlets.
The awards were presented on 22 May at the World Congress of News Media held in New York, USA. Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman was present there to receive the awards in person.
The celebration held to share the good news with Prothom Alo employees was attended by staff members from various departments of the media house.
During the programme, editor Matiur Rahman shared his experience of receiving the awards. Such international recognition amidst various ongoing smear campaigns brings fresh encouragement and renewed courage, he said.
The editor also mentioned that earlier ‘National Public Opinion Survey on Media 2025’, conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) for the Media Reform Commission, came up with the finding that 57 per cent of the newspaper readers in the country read Prothom Alo and the paper ranks as the most read newspaper in 61 districts.
Notably, the International News Media Association (INMA) is a global organisation comprising over 1,000 media outlets from 93 countries. It has been recognising various innovative initiatives in the news media industry since 1937.