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A Heartfelt Thank You from Daily Dazzling Dawn
Today marks two years since Daily Dazzling Dawn began its journey, and we're incredibly touched by the outpouring of good wishes. The British Prime Minister's Office sent their congratulations, and even the local MP, a significant minister in the British government, found time in his incredibly busy schedule to write a special column wishing us success. Senior community elders and thousands of people from various countries have also congratulated us on social media. As a digital-first daily in Britain, we truly couldn't have asked for more; we're overwhelmed.
While we didn't have special arrangements this year beyond publishing an anniversary issue of the same size and Multimedia Editor Kamran Ahmed creating an anniversary photo card, we want to announce a change for the future. From next year onwards, we will no longer make provisions for celebrating our anniversary. Instead, we'll focus on a deeper evaluation of our own work.
Two Decades of Ink and Keyboard
For over two decades, the ink and the keyboard have been my lifeblood. From the bustling newsrooms of Bangladesh 17 years ago to the vibrant media landscape of London 12 years back, where I served as a news editor at Channel i Europe and Weekly Banglatimes, journalism has been my unwavering path. I even earned a respectable £450 a week then.
Yet, a curious paradox defines my existence. A decade ago, the door to a British passport stood wide open, an embrace of a new nationality. But I chose to remain rooted, clutching my Bangladeshi green passport – a decision many close to me dismiss as mere sentimentality. "Change your mind!" they urge, unaware of the ceaseless demands that shackle me to Daily Dazzling Dawn and the relentless flow of news I dispatch to powerhouses like Bangla Tribune and Dhaka Tribune. Original thought, my own voice, often remains a whispered dream.
An Unwavering Ethic
My career has spanned the political spectrum, from BNP to Awami League, Jamaat to Labour and Conservative. But here's my profound pride: I have never bowed to any party's banner. Not in Bangladesh, not in London. My commitment, until my last breath, is to remain an honest journalist, a beacon of truth, not a pawn in any political game. A true journalist, by definition, has no party, no leader. An ethical journalist often stands alone, a solitary figure in a world of alliances. Beyond the cherished few from my early days, the professional path of an honest journalist is a solitary one. I am without a group, yet surrounded by purpose.
At just 17, journalism gifted me an identity, a voice, even the chance to be an elected representative. The weight of that public expectation, born so young, has fueled my every journalistic endeavor since.
The Digital Divide and the Cost of Integrity
The very essence of Bengali journalism seems to be eroding before my eyes. We're witnessing the final act of a profession consumed by pre-written scripts, videos brimming with vitriol, factionalism, and sycophancy.
My dream was to dedicate my entire 38 years to this craft. But dreams, it seems, don't pay the bills. While many YouTubers now rake in tens of thousands of US dollars or pounds monthly by leveraging AI to translate English news, create videos from fish markets, or feature butcher shops, I find myself at a crossroads. I am not a YouTuber. My two decades of institutional journalism, my very conscience, forbid me from descending to that realm.
The online landscape of Bengali journalism is rife with unoriginality, a digital sea of copy-pasting. When I launched Daily Dazzling Dawn two years ago, Google AdSense mandated 80% original content for approval. I can proudly declare that our newspaper is a bastion of originality. Yet, thousands of our meticulously crafted reports are brazenly copied, stolen without a shred of credit. I see it, but time, that cruel master, prevents me from fighting back.
The truth is, professional journalists worldwide are facing an existential crisis, a shrinking horizon of opportunity. In Bengali journalism, it's almost a complete blackout. To carve out a minimally humane life in a city like London, without relying on benefits, demands a halal income of £2,500. This, coupled with the constant drain of covering annual salaries and bonuses for the paper, is a relentless, exhausting fight. It's not for my wife, my mother, or my children; this battle is fiercely my own.
The Unbreakable Bond
Fourteen years in London, yet my world remains steeped in Bengali. Every word I speak, write, and read echoes the rhythms of my mother tongue. The very scent of Bangladesh, of Moulvibazar's soil, clings to my being. Even with an honors degree from a world-renowned British university, transitioning from Bengali to English for journalism feels like abandoning a part of my soul. For me, journalism is art, a sacred pursuit, second only to prayer. And art, like prayer, cannot be replicated by AI or any technology. It never will be.
But journalism will endure. In the global English-language mainstream, a select few will still find their livelihood for at least another decade. My resolve is to continue this battle for a halal livelihood in journalism until my last breath.
The greatest contentment on this earth belongs to those who can make their beloved work their livelihood until the very end. With that content heart, without selling my soul, this struggle of a small person to survive against the current – that's how I've come to love this life.
For the past 24 months, Daily Dazzling Dawn has been a labor of love, an institution built on the joy of creation. There's no capitalist investment here, only passion.
The Unseen Threat and Unyielding Hope
AI now possesses an astonishing ability to delve into human minds, to unearth answers to every query. This human-made technology, artificial intelligence, is increasingly dictating and deciding for countless individuals worldwide what actions to take and what to avoid. It is even redefining the very concepts of policy and corruption.
In this evolving landscape, if the minority of independent voices in Britain or Bangladesh—those who can illuminate society with their own logical, just, unadulterated, and original thoughts, free from party affiliations or preconceived notions—become extinct, then both time and society will bear a profound burden. There is a gaping void in society for journalists who can articulate a broader unity beyond division and hatred on societal and state issues, who remain unchained by parties, wealth, or privilege, who refrain from masquerading activism as journalism, and who can truly uphold the respect and honor of the people.
You can download everything, but experience cannot be downloaded.
I genuinely didn't anticipate Daily Dazzling Dawn reaching such heights in just 24 months, to a point where even the British Prime Minister, other ministers, and MPs are acknowledging its success. My deepest gratitude extends to all my colleagues, our esteemed readers, and our dedicated advertisers.
Money, of course, is essential at every turn of life. But some things, truly, money cannot buy.
Serving a Vibrant Community: Our Mission
In Britain, there are at least 1.6 million Bangladeshi Bengali speakers and their descendants, spanning three to four generations. The primary objective of launching Daily Dazzling Dawn was to fill the void of not having a single comprehensive English newspaper for this large community. Our goal was to convey the expectations, achievements, challenges, and opportunities of Bangladeshi and Bengali-speaking people to the policy level in Britain.
Two years after the launch of Daily Dazzling Dawn, readers can observe that while some of the existing Asian English newspapers in Britain, owned by people of Indian, Pakistani, and Chinese descent, are over forty years old, it is for readers to judge how we compare in terms of news quality, originality, and novelty. As readers, you can also verify whether any other Asian newspaper in Britain, apart from Daily Dazzling Dawn, provides continuous updates and informs readers of news as it happens.
The Asian population in Britain is well over 5.5 million. Our target is to gain the trust of these readers while also expanding our mainstream readership.
Dear Reader, Your Support Matters
Each of these other established newspapers is financially established, backed by major investors and business groups. They also receive donations. Many publications earn revenue through online subscriptions. However, both our print newspaper and online version are completely free.
The money earned by the newspaper from AdSense and advertisements has only been used to cover the salaries, allowances, bonuses, and various training expenses of those who work in Daily Dazzling Dawn's Bangladesh bureau. Even then, subsidies have often been necessary to fully cover these costs. The monthly expenses for the services and tools we subscribe to are also a significant amount. In the last two years, neither I nor anyone from our London team has taken a single pound in salary or any kind of expense for the continuous work on Daily Dazzling Dawn.
Even if we don't take salaries, and exclude printing costs, simply maintaining the online version 24 hours a day in three shifts requires a huge expenditure for journalists' salaries, website maintenance, and developer costs. If company maintenance, office expenses, and accountant and lawyer fees are added, these expenses will increase manifold. Despite the hardship, we are willing to bear these costs. Our children, let alone write in Bengali, cannot even read it. We seek your support in our struggle to build a cohesive and neutral platform to highlight our opportunities and challenges within the mainstream British context.
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