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The celebration of bdnews24.com’s 18th anniversary at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, Dhaka turns into a beaming gathering of guests
Published : 19 Nov 2024, 09:37 PM
bdnews24.com is celebrating its invincible journey of 18 years that began with the introduction of ‘dotcom’ journalism in Bangladesh a decade and a half ago.
People from across the broad social spectrum joined the 18th anniversary celebration event of the first online newspaper in Bangladesh, at the Ballroom of the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, Dhaka on Tuesday.
Reflecting the widespread influence and admiration bdnews24.com has garnered over nearly two decades, the event turned into a vibrant gathering of luminaries, celebrating the legacy of the country’s first online newspaper.
Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra artist and freedom fighter Rafiqul Alam, singer Sujit Mustafa, his wife and a prominent dance artist of Bangladesh Munmun Ahmed, actor Alamgir, theatre personality Mamunur Rashid and his younger brother Kamaluddin Kabir joined the event.
In a hurry to return, singer Mehreen Mahmud was the first to arrive with a wreath and greet bdnews24.com.
Rafiur Rabbi, convener of the anti-terrorism platform Taki Mancha, and Shafiqul Islam Miah, general manager of Karmasangsthan Bank, were in attendance.
Bangladesh women's football team Captain Sabina Khatun and Vice-captain Maria Manda also joined bdnews24.com’s celebration.
Among the other guests were Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, or BSS, Managing Director Mahbub Morshed, sports journalist Rafiqul Hasan, former Bangladesh national cricket team captain and freedom fighter Raqibul Hasan, senior journalist and columnist Shafik Rehman, BNP leader Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Ganosamhati Andolan's Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki, former inspector general of police Nurul Huda, former comptroller and auditor general Muslim Chowdhury, public health expert Mushtaq Husain, Philippines Ambassador to Dhaka Leo Tito L Ausan Jr, Mass Literacy Campaign Executive Director Rasheda K Chowdhury, and Additional Attorney General Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan.
Actors Ramendu Majumdar, Azizul Hakim, Misha Sawdagor, Ahsan Habib Nasim, Rahmat Ali, Wahida Mollick Jolly, singer Farida Parveen, BotTala theatre group head Ali Haider Siddiqui, artist Rashid Amin, theatre researcher Kamal Uddin Kabir, Bengal Foundation Director-General Luva Nahid Choudhury and many other prominent personalities were in attendance.
European Union Ambassador to Dhaka Michael Miller, French Ambassador Marie Masdupuy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Embassy’s Second Secretary Javed Askari were also present.
Jatiya Party chief GM Quader, Media Reform Commission Chairman Kamal Ahmed, Independent Television’s Chief News Editor Mustafa Akmal, Special Correspondent Jahanara Parvin, National Press Club President Hasan Hafiz and General Secretary Ayub Bhuiyan and Daily Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam were also in the ballroom.
Among others, women rights leader Khushi Kabir, Golam Rahman, sports personality Nazmul Abedin Fahim and public health expert Mushtaq Hossain attended the event.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Mainul Islam, Emeritus Professor ABM Abdullah of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, along with government officials and top figures from different sectors of Bangladesh were present at the event at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel.
A concise audio-visual presentation showcasing bdnews24.com’s remarkable journey was displayed on the screen and prominently featured on a billboard at the ballroom entrance.
The audio-visual presentation highlighted the news outlet's journey, showcasing how it has earned the trust of readers and viewers by delivering the 'right news first,' in the face of a series of adversities along the way.
The billboard presentation told the story of the birth of many firsts of bdnews24.com, starting from the first digital news service launched by the outlet in Bangladesh on Oct 23, 2006.
Over its 18-year journey, bdnews24.com has not only reported the news but also chronicled history. Pioneering an innovative path in the media landscape, it set a standard that many others have since followed.
To keep pace with the innovative nature of the times, 'multimedia content' was added to the website. It has been a pioneer in providing news service on mobile phones, breaking news in both Bengali and English through news alerts.
It highlighted how the news website was repeatedly shut down under various pretexts solely for publishing news, and attempts were made to silence the voice of journalism.
The digital billboard spotlighted the Anti-Corruption Commission’s lawsuit and harassment after the report of investment in bdnews24.com was carried out in 2019.
Editor-in-Chief Khalidi has been maintaining that the ACC's allegation of amassing illegal wealth related to the investment is “baseless and false.”
In 2021, an influential business group demanded the removal of previously published news from the newspaper's website. When the publication refused to comply, close associates of the business tycoon retaliated by filing lawsuits in every district, bringing false charges against the outlet.
The presentation highlighted how the series of harassment came to an end when the ACC withdrew the case against Khalidi following the political changeover in Bangladesh.
