Amod (newspaper)

Amod is a Bengali weekly newspaper published in Comilla, Bangladesh.^[1] The long-running community newspaper claims to be the oldest weekly newspaper in the country as it has been published since 5 May 1955.^[2][3]

Mohammed Fazle Rabbi, who died 28 November 1994, was the foundingr editor of Amod.^[4] Journalists who worked under him were Taheruddin Thakur, Anil Karmaker, and Mobarak Hossain Khan. The newspaper is operated by Rabbi's wife, Shamsun Nehar Rabbi,^[5] and son, Bakin Rabbi, who is the printer, publisher and editor-in-chief.^[3]

Although the Weekly Amod has faced competition from other weeklies, Mohammed Fazle Rabbi believed his first serious competitor was Cumilla's first daily newspaper Rupashi Bangla, which started in 1979.^[6]

Weekly Amod was recognized in 1985 by UNESCO after three decades of publishing news.^[6][3] The Amod remains competitive. Crispin C. Maslog in the book 5 Successful Asian Community Newspapers writes, "Amod continues to be the leading community newspaper in Comilla because it has been a steady, reliable source of information and the mouthpiece for community opinion in the past three decades."^[6] Others say it is the long run of the newspaper that has given it a special authority within the Comilla community.^[7]