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Published : 24 Oct 2025, 12:36 AM
bdnews24.com has celebrated its 19th anniversary, highlighting its role in ushering Bangladesh’s news to the digital world.
The event, held on Thursday at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden, welcomed guests from every sector of society.
Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi delivered the keynote address.
Here is the full text of the speech:
23 October 2025
Commemorating the Day We Opened The Gates
Venue: The Grand Ballroom, Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, Dhaka
There’s a certain magic in this room tonight. I look out and I see the architects of modern Bangladesh. The minds that shape our policy, drive our economy, steward our institutions, and inspire our nation. Your presence here is not just an honour; it is a profound validation.
Ladies and gentlemen
Thank you so much for joining us tonight.
We are truly grateful
Seventeen years ago, I stood on this very stage, in this very room, speaking to mark our second anniversary. It was just weeks before an election that would define our nation's destiny for the subsequent two decades. We spoke of democracy, accountability, political process and inclusiveness. I remember saying the media would play a part in that process, but would not be a part of it.
It is time, once again, to talk about those issues.
But first, let us be clear about why we are truly here. We are here to commemorate a single, revolutionary decision. It was not merely the launch of a website. It was the throwing open of the digital gates.
On this day, nineteen years ago – on October the 23rd, 2006 – our team of news gatherers and editors stood at a crossroads. bdnews24.com existed, but as a subscription-only news service for local newspapers and television channels. The information was there, but it was behind a wall.
We made a choice. We decided to tear that wall down.
We shifted to a 24/7 news service, free for every person in Bangladesh with an internet connection. In that moment, we did not just change our business model; we changed our destiny. We transformed from a service into a public square. We became the first online newspaper in Bangladesh, and we believe, one of the first of its kind in the world.
Overnight, the waiting ended. The delay vanished. The traditional gatekeeping of information was rendered obsolete. The future of news arrived on our screens, and it was free.
This was more than a strategy; it was a manifesto. A declaration that the people’s right to know was absolute. We placed a bet on the intellectual curiosity of the people of Bangladesh.
And you—all of you in this room, and tens of millions outside it—proved us right.
For nineteen years, we have had the privilege of writing the first rough draft of history of a nation in hyperdrive. We have been the digital witness to your boardroom decisions and your policy breakthroughs. The journey of bdnews24.com is inextricably linked with your journey.
This path demanded relentless innovation and an unwavering commitment to accuracy, fairness, and independence. In an age of accelerating noise, we have strived to be your signal of clarity and trust.
But tonight is not just about looking back. It is also about looking forward to the next revolution.
The next decade will be defined by artificial intelligence, by the battle for truth, and by the next great leap in our nation’s journey. The role of a credible, agile, and accessible news organisation has never been more critical.
Our pledge to you is this: The spirit of 2006—to be open, as free as possible, and first—remains our guiding star. We will harness new technology not to replace journalism, but to empower it. We will invest in the investigative units that hold power to account and the platforms that ensure news remains a right, not a privilege.
We make this pledge against a backdrop of deep national introspection. For any nation to thrive, it requires more than economic indicators; it requires a foundation of stability, predictable governance, and unwavering respect for the rule of law.
The past years have shown us the profound cost of chaos. When law and order are threatened, it is not just headlines that suffer—it is the entrepreneur hesitating to invest, the innovator fearing uncertainty, and the family worrying about their future. Bangladesh, a country of boundless ambition, wants and deserves better. It deserves a calm where businesses can plan and where every citizen can feel secure.
This stability is not found in silence. It is forged in the furnace of accountable, representative governance. A government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people is, by its very nature, accountable to the people. It is a government that listens more than it speaks and that views dissent not as a threat, but as a vital feedback loop.
As a news organisation, our mission is not to rule but to report; not to govern but to hold governors to account. We believe that the clearest path to the stability and prosperity we all seek is through strong, independent institutions and a government that embraces its sacred duty to be transparent. This is not a political stance; it is a democratic imperative.
We will remain your partner in progress, your critical friend, your most reliable source.
One of the finest compliments we received over the past year, amid the post-5th August chaos, was that nothing had changed at bdnews24.com. There was no shift in editorial stance, even as the rest of the media landscape underwent a massive—and not particularly decent—makeover.
Finally, running the affairs of the state is a serious business. It requires a serious mandate. It requires people equipped to make immediate and long-term decisions; people who can negotiate complex foreign policy and security issues; people who will not forget the millions who fought and sacrificed their lives to secure our freedom fifty-four years ago.
We are far from that ideal. Let us all work together to that end. We can only play a supporting role. We will never be the protagonists.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This anniversary is not just ours. It is shared with every citizen who has ever clicked on our link, every leader who granted us an interview, and every one of you who has been part of this incredible journey.
So, let us raise an imaginary glass.
To the visionaries of 2006, who dared to tear down the walls.
To the incredible team of bdnews24.com, who uphold that promise every single day.
And to you, our distinguished guests. Thank you for your trust and your partnership.
Thank you.
