Prothom Alo

''Prothom Alo'' () is a Bengali-language daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka. It is one of the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh. 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.

History

''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. The newspaper distinguished itself by its investigations of acid attacks and violence against women and pushing for tougher laws against the sale of acid. From press facilities located in Dhaka, Chittagong and Bogra, around 5,00,000 copies (as of March '2014) are circulated each day. 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.

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. After filing of the case she was taken to Shahbagh Police Station. She was quizzed for 5 days in police remand. She was released upon bail from Kashimpur prison on 23 May 2021.

Digital platforms

The online portal of ''Prothom Alo'' is the number 1 Bangladeshi website in the world. 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.

Editors

Matiur Rahman is the chief editor of the newspaper. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2005 in the category of Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts.

Mathematics Olympiad

''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.

Recognition

''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'. 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.

Sister concerns

''Prothom Alo'', which belongs to Mediastar Ltd., has the following sister concerns:
* ABC Radio FM 89.2: 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.

Criticism

Cartoon controversy

''Prothom Alo'' is often criticized for its liberal attitude. A cartoon by Arifur Rahman was published in Alpin about a joke partly related to religion, causing protests against the Newspaper. A subsequent order was given from the government to ban the supplement. The editor of the ''Prothom Alo'' acknowledged the gaffe. In a statement released by ''Prothom Alo'', the editor of Alpin, Matiur Rahman, apologized, expressing regret for publishing the cartoon. The cartoonist was jailed for six months and two days, he was arrested 18 September 2007 and released 20 March 2008.

2012 HC injunction on ''deyal'' controversy

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.

Tragedy at the festival

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. 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. 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.

Criticism of Sheikh Hasina

On March 26, 2023, Prothom Alo's Facebook page published a quote accompanied by an inconsistent image. Criticizing this matter, the then-Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, labeled Prothom Alo as an enemy of the country, the nation, and democracy.

Controversial information on militancy and attack on the office

Prothom Alo was accused of labeling Islamists as militants. 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. That evening, miscreants attempted to attack Prothom Alo's office in Chattogram.

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. Across different regions, Prothom Alo employees received threats and were subjected to verbal abuse.

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.

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. The New York-based organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged a swift investigation into the threats of violence against Prothom Alo employees. The organization of Bangladeshi journalists working in international media, Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media (BJIAM), expressed deep concern over such protests.

Alleged ties with the Awami League

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. She was also alleged to have held three meetings with Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban to have these cases dismissed.

Fraud assistance allegation

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. 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.

See also

* List of newspapers in Bangladesh

References

External links

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{{Newspapers of Bangladesh

Bengali-language newspapers published in Bangladesh
Daily newspapers published in Bangladesh
Newspapers established in 1998
1998 establishments in Bangladesh
Newspapers published in Dhaka
Bangladeshi news websites
Newspapers published in Bangladesh
Journalism in Bangladesh
Ramon Magsaysay Award winners
Transcom Group