The country's 11 newspapers that have been serving the nation for over 25 years, won laurels for their outstanding contributions in the field.
The Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) honoured the news outlets, including The Financial Express (FE), at a ceremony held at the Dhaka Club in the city on Wednesday.
Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury attended the event as the chief guest, while Minister for Information and Broadcasting Hasan Mahmud attended as a special guest.
On behalf of the FE, International Publications Limited (IPL) Chairman Mahbubur Rahman along with FE Editor Shamsul Huq Zahid received the crest from the guests.
Syed Manzur Elahi, former adviser to caretaker government and managing director of the IPL - the owning company of The Financial Express, lawmaker Motia Chowdhury, eminent educationists Syed Monzoorul Islam and AAMS Arefin Siddique, senior journalists, and diplomats attended the ceremony.
In his speech, NOAB President A K Azad lauded the role of newspapers in the country.
The newspapers are now facing a serious crisis due to decreasing readership of printed materials in the wake of aggressive uprising of digital media.
"Besides, the local media are facing a tough situation since the government has enacted a number of laws that are subversive to free and independent journalism," he said.
He also urged the government to discuss with the representatives prior to finalising any laws related to the media outlets.
The English newspapers that received the award were The Financial Express and The Daily Star.
The Bangla dailies are Daily Sangbad, Ittefaq, Azadi, Purbanchol, Korotoa, Purbakone, Inqilab, Bhorer Kagoj, and Janakantho.
NOAB Secretary General Dewan Hanif Mahmud said since its establishment in 2004, the NOAB had been playing a role for flourishing the newspaper sector.
The platform honoured the older newspapers in line with the celebration of Mujib Centenary.
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