Dhaka Tribune

Dhaka Tribune
Breaking News. Breaking Barriers.
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)2A Media Limited, Gemcon Group
PublisherKazi Anis Ahmed
EditorZafar Sobhan
Founded2013
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersFR Tower, 8/C Panthpath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.
Websitewww.dhakatribune.com

The Dhaka Tribune is a major Bangladeshi English-language daily newspaper based in Dhaka, the country's capital and largest city.[1] It also operates an online portal (Bengali version) known as the Bangla Tribune. The newspaper has a strong readership in Bangladeshi cities, particularly among the young generation, the diplomatic community, and expatriates; as well as a wide readership in South Asia and internationally. The newspaper is notable for its highly diverse op-ed content, with contributions from leading Bangladeshi, South Asian and international columnists.

The newspaper is notable for being the fastest-growing English-language news media in Bangladesh's history, catering to the country's business community, middle class, public and private universities, and English medium schools. Several award-winning journalists have worked with the newspaper.

History

[edit]

The newspaper began publication on 19 April 2013.[2] The newspaper started as a broadsheet before going compact on 1 March 2015.[3] Since 1 May 2019, it has reverted to broadsheet editions, as is common among Bangladeshi newspapers.[4] Since 2015, it has been the media partner of the Dhaka Literary Festival.[5][6][7][8][9] Dhaka Tribune won the Most Innovative Special Supplement award at the Bangladesh Media Innovation Awards 2022 held in September 2022.[10]

Owners and staff

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Gemcon Group is the largest shareholder in the Dhaka Tribune. Gemcon is also the owner of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). The publisher of the newspaper is Kazi Anis Ahmed, an author of Bangladeshi writing in English and a well known commentator on Bangladesh in international media. Ahmed's articles have been published in The New York Times,[11] Time,[12] The Guardian,[13] The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal,[14] Nikkei Asian Review,[15] and Politico.[16] Abu Sayeed Asiful Islam serves as associate editor.[17] Its bureau chief in London is solicitor Niaz Alam.[18] The newspaper's founding and chief editor is Zafar Sobhan, a 2005 Young Global Leader and 2008 Yale World Fellow.[19][20] Sobhan previously worked at The Daily Star for seven years and was the editor of Forum magazine for four years; he formerly worked at The Independent, Dhaka Courier and Shokaler Khobor.[21] Sobhan became Bangladesh's first internationally syndicated columnist with articles published in many newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The Sunday Guardian, Time,and Outlook among others.[21][20] The business editor at Dhaka Tribune is Esha Aurora, who also writes about feminism and discrimination.[22][23][24]

Columnists

[edit]

Some of the paper's columnists include American economist Forrest Cookson,[25] British economist Tim Worstall,[26] Bangladeshi writer Syed Badrul Ahsan,[27] Jordan's Prince Hassan bin Talal,[28][29][30] and Bangladeshi climate scientist Saleemul Huq.[31][32]

Editorial content

[edit]

The Dhaka Tribune is known for a relatively liberal editorial policy which allows a wide range of views and promotes coverage of Bangladesh-India relations, Bangladesh-United States relations, Bangladesh-China relations, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights. It is one of the few publications in Bangladesh to allow articles calling for the decriminalization of LGBTQ rights.[33] During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the newspaper interviewed Ukrainian foreign policy adviser Svitlana Zalishchuk;[34] and the Russian ambassador in Dhaka later accused the Bangladeshi media of being biased.[35]

Syndicate

[edit]

The newspaper has content sharing agreements with Project Syndicate, The Conversation, and Scroll.in.[36]

Rohingya refugees

[edit]

In 2014, Myanmar summoned Bangladesh's ambassador over an article in the Dhaka Tribune calling for a referendum in Rakhine State.[37] The article also sparked protests by Buddhist nationalists in Yangon.[38] During the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar against the Rohingya, the newspaper was one of the few English-language media reporting directly from the Bangladesh-Myanmar border to a global audience.[39][40][41] The newspaper is a leading provider of news and commentary concerning Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, publishing articles by diplomats, NGO leaders, lawyers, and activists.[42]

Human rights

[edit]

The newspaper regularly publishes articles on human rights issues in Bangladesh, including repealing Section 377,[43][44][45] inheritance under Hindu law,[46] and press freedom.[47][48][49] On women's issues, the newspaper has reported that 97% of sex offences in Bangladesh go unreported.[50]

Censorship and defamation

[edit]

In 2019, a Dhaka Tribune journalist was arrested and sued under the Digital Security Act for reporting voting irregularities in a by-election.[51][52] The paper has cited Bangladesh's defamation laws as an obstacle to reporting about corruption in the country's security forces.[53] Its editorial in response to a documentary about corruption in the country's army was cited by journalist Tim Sebastian during an interview with Bangladesh government advisor Gowher Rizvi on DW.[53][54]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Change in control and attitude essential for Bangladesh media's survival - Fojo Media Institute". Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Dhaka Tribune launched". Dhaka Tribune. 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Introducing the compact Dhaka Tribune". Dhaka Tribune. 1 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  4. ^ From this May, Dhaka Tribune is switching to Broadsheet to have more space for more stories. We understand some stories simply need more!, archived from the original on 5 April 2024, retrieved 28 September 2019
  5. ^ DESIGNARIUM. "Dhaka Lit Fest". dhakalitfest.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest opens Thursday". The Daily Star. 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  7. ^ theluxembourgreview. "Dhaka Tribune". The Luxembourg Review. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  8. ^ "8th Dhaka Lit Fest". Cosmosbooks.com.bd. 13 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  9. ^ "9th edition of Dhaka Lit Fest kicks off". Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Dhaka Tribune wins most innovative special supplement award". Dhaka Tribune. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Articles by K. Anis Ahmed". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Beating Terrorism in Bangladesh Requires Public and Personal Commitment". Time. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  13. ^ "Things we don't write: K Anis Ahmed on the murdered writers of Bangladesh". 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Bangladesh's Vanishing Justice". 30 April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  15. ^ "Bangladesh faces growing strain in Rohingya crisis". 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  16. ^ "'Tis but a modest migration proposal". 19 September 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Will Hunt Down Anti-Hindu Attackers: Bangladesh PM". Ndtv.com. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  18. ^ Alam, Niaz. "Niaz Alam – Humanities Commons". Hcommons.org. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  19. ^ "The Forum of Young Global Leaders". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Zafar Sobhan". Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Zafar Sobhan – IID". Iidbd.org. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Esha Aurora". Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Esha Aurora". 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Tasnuva Ahmed & Esha Aurora I University of Chittagong & DW Akademie I Young Feminism [Bangla]". YouTube. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Articles by Forrest Cookson". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  26. ^ "Articles by Tim Worstall". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  27. ^ "Articles by Syed Badrul Ahsan". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Articles by HRH Prince el Hassan bin Talal". Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  29. ^ "One minute from midnight". 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  30. ^ "OP-ED: Protecting and preserving Jerusalem's identity is an international responsibility". 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Making our voices heard". 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  32. ^ "An open letter from Bangladesh to the American people". 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Bangladesh newspaper urges repeal of anti-gay law". 76 CRIMES. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  34. ^ "Ukraine reaches out, as fighters dig in for the next round".
  35. ^ "Russian ambassador decries 'bias' in Bangladesh media on Ukraine war | bdnews24.com". Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  36. ^ "View From Bangladesh". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Myanmar upset at DT article". 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  38. ^ "Protestors lash out over Dhaka newspaper op-ed". The Myanmar Times. 30 March 2014.
  39. ^ "Myanmar: Rohingya insurgents declare month-long ceasefire". The Guardian. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  40. ^ Judah, Jacob (7 September 2017). "Opinion | Strip Aung San Suu Kyi of Her Nobel Prize". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  41. ^ "Thousands of Rohingya flee Myanmar amid tales of ethnic cleansing | Rohingya | The Guardian". Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Please don't forget them". 5 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  43. ^ "Where does Bangladesh stand on LGBT issue?". 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  44. ^ "Can we decriminalize homosexuality?". 23 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  45. ^ "Op-Ed: A law out of step with the times". 16 June 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  46. ^ "Reform for the differently abled". 23 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  47. ^ "ED: Freedom of the press is freedom of the people". 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  48. ^ "OP-ED: With Rozina Islam, we all suffer". 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  49. ^ "OP-ED: Let's not kill the spirit of journalism". 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  50. ^ "Nothing is more alarming than when women do patriarchy's work for it | The Daily Star". Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  51. ^ "Digital Security Act: Two journos sued in Khulna over 'false info' on polls results". 2 January 2019. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  52. ^ "Bangladesh-Journalists-CPIN-v2.0" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  53. ^ a b "Gowher Rizvi on Conflict Zone | DW | 01.09.2021". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  54. ^ "ED: Why the silence?". 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
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