Truth is courage

Greetings to all on this bright autumn morning.

Today, 4 November 2025, marks the 27th anniversary of Prothom Alo. You have stood by Prothom Alo over these years in both good times and bad. Within just three and a half years of our founding, you made Prothom Alo the most widely read daily in the country, a position it continues to hold today. According to the 2025 survey of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 57 per cent of newspaper readers in the country read Prothom Alo, in print or online.

Along with the love of the people of this country, Prothom Alo also earned global recognition in 2025. Last month in Munich, Germany, at the global forum of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), representing publishers from 120 countries, Prothom Alo won top honours in two categories: 1. Next Gen Reader Engagement Award (for engaging the new generation of readers), and 2. Print Advertising Creativity Award (for creativity in regional advertising in print media).

Prothom Alo also won the first prize in the “Best Idea to Encourage Reader Engagement” category at the event organised by INMA. The award recognised Prothom Alo’s national brand initiative titled “Echoes of Protest: Inspiring a Generation with Truth and Resolve,” based on the July people’s uprising.

In addition, Prothom Alo received third prize in the “Best Use of an Event to Build a News Brand” category for its national brand initiative “National Health Olympiad: Innovation and Initiative for a Healthy Future.”
These achievements belong not only to the people who work at Prothom Alo, but also to you, our readers and well-wishers. We extend our heartfelt thanks to you.

While Prothom Alo has earned the love of its readers, it has also faced repression from those in power, under every government. Since its launch in November 1998 up to 2024, Prothom Alo’s editor and journalists have faced more than 100 lawsuits. Of the 52 cases filed during the previous government’s tenure, many remain unresolved. Even under the present interim government, a new case has been filed.

The former prime minister of the last government once declared on the floor of Parliament: “Prothom Alo is the enemy of the Awami League, the enemy of democracy, and the enemy of the people of this country.”

There were also severe attempts to destroy Prothom Alo, to seize its ownership, and to remove its editor. Ironically, she is now in exile, while Prothom Alo remains the most popular newspaper and digital media outlet in the country, now also recognised internationally.

After the end of authoritarian rule there was hope that a free, independent and fearless environment would be created for the media, but in reality that hope has not materialised. Instead, fake news, personal slander, unprecedented chaos in front of newspaper offices, and direct and indirect displays of intimidation have certainly not been conducive for fearless, courageous, objective journalism today.

“I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”, these words attributed by British writer Evelyn Beatrice to Voltaire in 1906, is a world away from the reality in our country. The practiced and proclaimed attitude in some quarters seems to be: “I don’t like you or your views, therefore I will attack you.”

Those in power have never really liked Prothom Alo. Why? It is because from the very beginning Prothom Alo declared that it would remain independent and non-partisan, never a mouthpiece for any political party. It would continue to speak the truth. Even if that truth went for or against anyone, Prothom Alo would not refrain from publishing it.

You may recall the front-page report by Rozina Islam on 6 April 2014, titled “Twelve annas of the gold in the crests were fake!” The report revealed that the commemorative crests presented to world leaders, politicians, distinguished citizens, and organisations for their unforgettable contributions to the Liberation War did not actually contain even a fraction of the amount of gold claimed. Or, the front-page headline following the January 2014 election, “Rigged votes, tainted election.”

Such truth-telling brings danger. Prothom Alo has repeatedly faced government repression, lawsuits, arrests, the suspension of advertisements, obstruction of newspaper distribution, and pressure on private companies not to advertise in Prothom Alo. These storms and assaults have come one after another. Yet Prothom Alo has never deviated from its principles.

What is the source of Prothom Alo’s courage? What is the basis of its strength? It is its vast readership. With millions of readers at home and abroad, such an institution cannot be brought down. Lawsuits have come one after another, yet Prothom Alo has never lost a case, because the courts have confirmed that Prothom Alo has always reported the truth.
The 27 years of experience of Prothom Alo show that if the information you report is accurate, then angry rulers, those in power, and influential figures cannot harm you. So, what is the source of Prothom Alo’s courage.

The answer is truth. Truth is courage. Truth may be unwelcome, dangerous, and difficult to report, requiring effort and persistence, but the triumph of truth is inevitable. Truth makes us brave. Truth protects us.
Across the world, traditional journalism faces serious challenges today. In the flood of lies, rumours, and fake news, distinguishing real information has become very difficult. Thanks to new technology, anyone can spread any news; every smartphone has become a mini broadcasting center.

Negative forces create slander in unsuitable language, incite violent attacks, or, under the guise of news and journalism, spread rumours, falsehoods, and harmful propaganda. This is not just a problem in Bangladesh, it is also a challenge in Europe and America too.

Traditional news organisations see this as an opportunity. They assert that journalism is needed now more than ever, truth is needed now more than ever, and more than at any other time, people rely on objective news media to know the truth.

Just as darkness cannot be dispelled by waving a stick but requires lighting a lamp, there is no use in wielding a sword like Don Quixote against the darkness of fake news. What is needed is to ignite the light of truth.
We have seen the same in Bangladesh. When a piece of news spreads, people visit prothomalo.com to check it. The next day, when the news appears in the print edition, readers accept it as truth. This trust that people place in Prothom Alo inspires us to be even more responsible.

But the arrow of technology has left the bow and speeds ahead. Change is rapid. In the world of media, the mantra was first “Digital First,” then came “Mobile First,” and now it is “Video First.” Next in line is “AI First.” A media organisation must evolve into an AI or artificial intelligence-driven organisation.

Prothom Alo will always strive to adapt itself to the demands of the times. It will embrace the expectations of the new generation of the new era.

If a media organisation cannot welcome the new, embrace the new, and renew itself, it will lose its relevance in today’s world. We are fully aware of this. The struggle between falsehood and truth is eternal and will continue. If we remain objective, verify and fact-check with integrity, maintain impartiality, and publish truthful news, all kinds of opinions, and the content of the new day through the mediums of the new day, we will move forward.

And this must be done not for our own victory, but for the victory of the country and its people, because true information is an essential element of democracy; it is the greatest defence against corruption, injustice, oppression, and authoritarianism.

Bangladesh will prevail, and we will be humble companions in that march of victory of the people of Bangladesh.

Once again, heartfelt greetings to one and all on the anniversary of Prothom Alo.