MM Rahmatullah: People have long circulated news via word-of-mouth, and as language evolved into writing and literacy – and governments played larger roles in people’s lives sharing information became a necessity. However, disseminating news and information on paper presented significant challenges. When each copy had to be handwritten, mass distribution was impossible.

Still, early civilizations did distribute news. In China, one of the earliest forms of news media was known as the tipao. Created as early as 202 BC, these were “palace reports or imperial bulletins” distributed by the government and intended for bureaucrats. Any news for public consumption might have been distributed via posted announcements – basically, the forerunners of modern-day posters.

National English daily The Muslim Times is going to celebrate its 17th founding anniversary. The journey of The Muslim Times has been started on the behalf of the people of persecuted and oppressed of the whole world. Our journey to the responsible role is about 2 decades. We have been able to create a great stir among the reader’s society through the introduction of advanced quality, neutral policy, commitment to true propaganda and diversified news. The Muslim Times has become one of the famous daily newspapers in Bangladesh with the help of the reader community and everyone. We are motivated to move forward with the past in the future. Your co-operation, support and patronize on the path of our initiative will undoubtedly provide vitality.

No need to mentionable that `The Muslim Times` is a premier English Daily offering its readers the latest news, informed views and analysis of the Muslim Ummah and beyond. Dedicated to high-quality journalism, authentic news and unbiased analysis, this news portal reaches out to readers around the world who seek updates of the unfolding events of the region as well as a discerning analysis of current affairs.

The Muslim Times, with its headquarters in Dhaka, Bangladesh was launched in 2002, along with a team of experienced correspondents dedicated to investigative journalism; the very top political, diplomatic, economic and social commentators also contribute to South Asian Monitor in regular columns from the various countries all over the world.

The Muslim Times is committed to the truth and to the fight against fake news. Our strength lies in our readership and we refuse to offer them anything but the best. We don’t expect them to accept anything less.

The Muslim Times presently is brought out in English and Some important news in Bengali. As we have expanded our coverage have essentially turned global, we plan to bring out our newspaper in more languages in the world, in response to the demand of our readership.

The Muslim Times also has a vibrant video and audio section, offering coverage of news, features and a variety of presentations from around the region.

Headed by the Editor Fatima Islam Tania and Executive Editor MM Rahmatullah, our correspondents are from all the countries in the world.

Founder Editor of The Muslim Times was Professor Kabir Chowdhury, National Professor and Professor Emeratus of the University of Dhaka (country LeadingUniversity).

with long time of experience in journalism, is a strategic analyst and expert on conflict reporting with an astute knack for news and a thorough knowledge and understanding the whole world. Executive Editor Rahmatullah has worked extensively as a journalist in his own country Bangladesh where he was the editor of Porjoton Mail, a Travel Magazin.

In ancient Rome, Acta diurna were published prior to 59 BC (as early as 131 BC). These were daily gazettes, or news sheets, created by the government that contained information for the public: political news, military campaigns, trials, and executions. They were first chiseled in stone or metal; later, they were handwritten and distributed in public forums or read from scrolls by town criers. Acta diurna are often considered precursors to the modern newspaper.

Though ancient Romans and Chinese – as well as other ancient civilizations – had early forms of news media, they do not qualify as newspapers because they could not be mass-distributed. The invention of the printing press paved the way for “true” newspapers

The first true newspapers arrived after Johannes Gutenberg introduced his movable type printing press to the European world around 1440. Though printing presses with movable type had existed in eastern Asia for around two centuries, they never made it to Europe; furthermore, Gutenberg’s version made it significantly faster to mass produces documents. By 1500, the printing press had made its way throughout

The first weekly newspaper was published in Germany by Johann Carolus in 1604. Called Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, the publication satisfied the four tenets of a “true” newspaper:

Despite meeting the requirements for a newspaper, there is some debate as to whether The Relation qualifies as the world’s first newspaper since it was printed in quarto, not folio, size. It’s worth noting the World Association of Newspapers considers The Relation the first true newspaper.

Other German newspapers followed, and in 1618 the world’s first broadsheet newspaper printed in folio size was published in Amsterdam, called Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. The newspaper format soon spread throughout Europe, with newspapers published in Spain, France, and Sweden.

The first English newspaper was published in 1665 in Oxford, England. Known as the Oxford Gazette, the newspaper moved to London in 1666 and was renamed the London Gazette. It’s still being published today.

Soon after, the newspaper became a staple in all major European countries. It then made its way to the New World. You don’t need to publish a newspaper to promote your business. Get the word out with newsletter printing at discount prices!

Newspapers flourished in the Industrial Revolution: The Industrial Revolution spawned giant presses capable of printing 10,000 papers per hour, and contributing to massive growth in the newspaper industry – from 2,526 newspapers in 1850 to more than 11,000 newspapers by 1880. By 1890, some papers boasted circulations in excess of one million copies.

In addition to mass production, the technologies of the Industrial Revolution made it possible to feature detailed illustrations, published as pictorial weeklies. These illustrations were printed from woodcut engravings made from reporters’ sketches or another new, revolutionary technology: photographs.

The Civil War likewise contributed to the popularity of newspapers, as battlefield reporters commanded national attention with their accounts of the war. By the time the Civil War ended, newspapers had become engrained in American culture.

Why did governments want to suppress early newspapers? The pen is mightier than the sword, and newspapers carried enormous influence over the populace. Pioneering newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst allegedly used the power of the press to manufacture the Spanish-American War. By pushing for U.S. involvement, Hearst was able to influence public opinion; once the war began, he was then able to sell more papers covering it.

Hearst also used newspapers to attack President William McKinley, who was assassinated. Though it can’t be said Hearst’s actions caused the assassination, it’s undeniable his newspapers influenced public sentiment.

Another famous example is the “Join, or Die” snake editorial cartoon published by Benjamin Franklin in his Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. The cartoon was reprinted in newspapers throughout the colonies and promoted the idea of strength in unity as colonist`s resisted French expansion. Ultimately, those same ideals were incorporated when the colonists revolted and won their independence from England.

Newspapers over the past century

By the early 20th century, newspapers included the features we recognize in modern newspapers today: banner headlines, photos and illustrations, comics, and sports coverage, in addition to the political and event news that have always been newspaper staples.

Color photographs and other color elements changed the look of the newspaper; and though color printing seems a modern advancement, the first color comic in an American newspaper made its appearance in 1894. It wasn’t the first use of color in newspapers – the Milwaukee Journal used blue and red to commemorate an election in 1891 – but color printing is expensive, and newspapers didn’t adopt it as mainstream until the 1990s – after USA Today stirred controversy with its color coverage in 1982. According to the New York Times, the number of North American newspapers that incorporated color increased from 12 percent in 1979 to 97 percent by 1993. Newspaper design has evolved with the addition of color.

Although still at the top of the information food chain, newspapers began to face serious competition with the mass production of the radio beginning in the 1920s and television beginning in the 1940s. They were also threatened by huge conglomerates, which purchased smaller publications for large chains that, in addition to earning increased advertising dollars, could push political and other agendas.

Today, the newspaper industry continues to face challenges as the Digital Age threatens the survival of the newspaper as we know it.

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The future of newspapers in the Digital Age

The number of daily newspapers in the U.S. has decreased from 1,730 in 1981 to 1,331 in 2014, the latest year figures were available. That trend is likely to continue as consumer consumption of news has shifted toward digital delivery, which is cheaper from a production standpoint. As print newspapers decrease, the number of unique visitors to newspaper websites increases – the average monthly number of unique visitors for the top 50 newspapers increased from 8.2 million in 2014 to 11.7 million in 2016.

Perhaps a more telling trend: from 2014 to 2015, newspaper ad revenues fell by seven percent; during that same period, digital ad revenues for online newspapers increased by 20 percent.

In 2015, digital audiences for online newspapers peaked at nearly 180 million readers; that same year, paid circulation for U.S. newspapers was just 37.7 million (down from 53.3 million in 2005).

Still, there’s something to be said for printed newspapers. Of the estimated five billion newspaper readers in the world, three billion read print newspapers. Moreover, millennial have been documented to enjoy receiving print mailers – the tangible nature of print is perhaps more meaningful, and this could lend itself to continued print newspaper production. In addition, certain niches and industries might prefer print over digital; particularly demographically-targeted industries that focus on senior citizens and others who might be reticent to adapt to an online world.

Ultimately, however, the almighty dollar is likely to prevail: if it’s cheaper to produce an online newspaper, yet possible to achieve greater ad revenues, business-minded publishers will increasingly focus on delivering digital content and drop print production altogether. Let The Muslim Times be the readers of all classes and professions, this should be the suffix of the 17th founding anniversary of The Muslim Times.

Author: MM Rahmatullah is a senior journalist and Columnist. He is currently working as the Executive Editor of the Muslim Times.