Agrilife24.com:One of the leading digital newsrooms in Bangladesh, The Front Page (TFP), is celebrating its fifth anniversary, marking five years of innovation in social-first journalism, sustainable digital media business models and decentralised news infrastructure. What began as a small swipe-first experiment has evolved into a recognisable media brand for young, mobile-native audiences, reaching hundreds of thousands of followers and generating tens of millions of monthly views across platforms.
From the outset, The Front Page treated news not just as content but as a mobile-first format designed for fast-moving timelines. Its editorial approach focuses on bite-sized visual explainers, fact-first and non-partisan framing, and disciplined verification, while its business model pioneered clearly marked GPI ad placements that protect editorial integrity.
With a distributed contributor network across Bangladesh, TFP has amplified local perspectives and emerged as a trusted source of verified information during critical moments such as the July uprising and the July 2024 internet blackout, prioritising clarity and public responsibility amid widespread misinformation.
Shah Md. Akib Majumder, Co-founder of The Front Page (TFP), said, “Our policy in a critical situation is to remain responsible, objective and transparent, and to always put facts first, even if it means being late in the distribution race. We believe accuracy and public trust matter more than speed, especially during moments of uncertainty.”
Fasbeer Eskander, another Co-founder of The Front Page (TFP), added, “People do not just look for breaking headlines – they look for something they can trust and rely upon, something that brings clarity and helps them make an informed decision. Our job is to create factual awareness. Our job is not to predict the outcome, but rather to inform people in a relatable and simpler way using layman’s terms or references.”
Beyond its consumer-facing platform, The Front Page is also building The Blank Page, a decentralised news infrastructure designed to enable vetted local creators across Bangladesh to produce journalism within a shared system of standards, tools and distribution.
Entering its sixth year, The Front Page plans to expand its decentralised contributor network, strengthen verification and safety protocols, scale bilingual Bangla–English content, and deepen partnerships around media literacy and digital safety.
What began with a small core team has now grown into a group of more than 25 members, supported by contributors spread across Bangladesh. The Front Page’s daily work is driven by a committed management team and a diverse set of editors, producers and storytellers, including (among others) Sumaiya Rahman, Imtiaz Wasif, Mohammad Nipun Afridi, Asefur Rahman, Saiyara Hossain and Maha Syeda, who have served the audience with consistency and care. By building a distributed contributor base instead of a single-city newsroom, TFP has been able to bring more local voices and on-ground perspectives into its coverage.
During the July uprising and the July 2024 internet blackout, this decentralised structure allowed TFP to remain a key source of verified, real-time updates for young citizens. Amid confusion, competing narratives and limited access to information, the newsroom prioritised clarity, context and public responsibility, staying aligned with its fact-first principles.
In parallel with growing The Front Page brand, the team has also been developing The Blank Page, a decentralised news infrastructure built for vetted local creators across Bangladesh. The system offers a unified editorial style guide, shared verification workflows, visual templates and access to TFP’s distribution channels. Co-founder Fasbeer Eskander said, “The Front Page is the brand audiences see. The Blank Page is the infrastructure underneath, enabling trusted local creators, journalists and talents to work within one coordinated ecosystem.” He added that with the right technology and adaptability, The Blank Page can strengthen Bangladesh’s news sector through decentralised distribution, verified reporting tools and better systems for combating misinformation.