{{Short description|Indian English-language daily newspaper}} {{Other uses|Statesman (disambiguation){{!}}Statesman}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} {{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = The Statesman | motto = ''People's Parliament, Always in Session'' | logo = TheStatesman.svg | image = Statesman cover 09-08-22.png | image_size = 220px | caption = Front page (8 August 2022) | type = Daily newspaper | format = Broadsheet | political_position = Liberal | owners = {{ubl|RP Gupta|The Statesman Ltd.}} | founded = {{start date and age|1818}} ({{age in days|1818|1|15}} issues) | headquarters = 4 Chowringhee Square, Kolkata, 700001 | sister_newspapers = Dainik Statesman | circulation = 234,000 Daily <br /> 250,000 Sunday | editor = Ravindra Kumar | language = English | oclc = 1772961 | website = {{official URL}} }}
'''''The Statesman''''' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1818 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. It incorporates and is directly descended from '''''The Friend of India'''''. It is owned by The Statesman Ltd and headquartered at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Kolkata, with its national editorial office at Statesman House, Connaught Place, New Delhi. It is a member of the Asia News Network.
''The Statesman'' has an average weekday circulation of approximately 234,000,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://rni.nic.in/pdf_file/pin2019_20/pin2019_20_eng/Chapter%206.pdf | title=Daily Publications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818131630/https://rni.nic.in/pdf_file/pin2019_20/pin2019_20_eng/Chapter%206.pdf | archive-date=18 August 2021 }}</ref> and the ''Sunday Statesman'' has a circulation of 250,000. This ranks it as one of the leading English newspapers in West Bengal, India.<ref>[http://www.thestatesman.com/page.aboutus.php?usrsess=1 About Statesman]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928014708/http://www.thestatesman.com/page.aboutus.php?usrsess=1 |date=28 September 2016 }}. Subir Bhaumik.</ref>
==History== ''The Statesman'' is a direct descendant of two newspapers, the Bombay (now Mumbai) based ''Indian Statesman'' and ''The Friend of India'' published in Calcutta (now Kolkata). ''Indian Statesman'' was started by Robert Knight, who was previously the principal founder and editor of ''The Times of India''. Knight merged the two papers to ''Indian Statesman and New Friend of India'' on 15 January 1875.<ref>Griffiths, D. (ed.): The Encyclopedia of the British Press 1422–1992.</ref><ref>Hirschmann, E. (2004). The Hidden Roots of a Great Newspaper: Calcutta’s ‘Statesman’. Victorian Periodicals Review, 37(2), 141–160. JSTOR.</ref> The paper later adopted the current name. It absorbed its erstwhile rival ''The Englishman'' in 1927.<ref>Hirschmann, E. (2004). The Hidden Roots of a Great Newspaper: Calcutta’s ‘Statesman’. Victorian Periodicals Review, 37(2), 141–160. JSTOR. </ref> The ''Statesman'' was managed by a British corporate group until it transferred ownership to a consortium of companies with N A Palkhivala as Chairman in the mid-1960s. The first editor assigned under this new ownership was Pran Chopra.
In 1978, then editor S Nihal Singh was awarded the prestigious International Editor of the Year Award given by ''World Press Review'', New York, for opposing the Emergency (1975–77).<ref name="i713">{{cite web | title=International Editor of the Year Award: Previous Recipients | website=Worldpress.org | date=28 January 2025 | url=https://www.worldpress.org/award2.cfm | access-date=28 January 2025}}</ref><ref name="y631">{{cite web | title=Veteran journalist S Nihal Singh no more | website=The Economic Times | date=16 April 2018 | url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/veteran-journalist-s-nihal-singh-no-more/articleshow/63789329.cms?from=mdr | access-date=28 January 2025}}</ref>
==Editorial style== [[File:The Statesman House in Esplanade.jpg|left|thumb|Statesman House, Kolkata]] ''The Statesman'' is characterized by its terse reporting style. It holds a liberal position. It opposed the shifting of India's capital from Calcutta to New Delhi in 1911, stating that "[t]he British have gone to the city of graveyards to be buried there". It also strenuously opposed Indira Gandhi's Emergency in 1975–77. Under the editor Ian Stephens (who was editor from 1942 to 1951), the newspaper published highly disturbing images, on 22 and 29 August 1943, of the effects of the Bengal famine of 1943, despite the British colonial government's attempts at censorship.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mukherjee |first=Janam |title=Hungry Bengal: War, Famine and the End of Empire|date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|pages=125–126}}</ref> The images played a major role in changing world opinion on imperialism.
''The Statesman Award for Rural Reporting'' is presented to outstanding journalists every year, irrespective of affiliation, to further the social uplifting of indigents from India. The awards are presented on 16 September every year, the death anniversary of Justice Sudhi Ranjan Das, former Chief Justice of India's Supreme Court and chairman of The Statesman during the tumultuous Emergency years.
Once the most widely read English dailies in West Bengal, ''The Statesman'' has now lost some ground to The Telegraph and ''The Times of India'' in the state. But it is widely regarded as the paper to read for serious news reportage, incisive analytical articles and usage of standard English language.
''The Statesman'' is a founding member of the Asia News Network, a grouping of 22 Asian newspapers that have joined hands for a daily news exchange. This allows ''The Statesman'' to offer exhaustive coverage of all Asian regions.
==Supplements== [[File:Stateman_House_New_Delhi.jpg|thumb|Statesman House, New Delhi]] ''The Statesman'' carries a Thursday feature supplement called "Section 2"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Section 2 – The Statesman|website=The Statesman |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/section|access-date=21 Jun 2020|archive-date=22 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622111106/https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/section|url-status=live}}</ref> which is published from New Delhi. The four-page supplement provides in-depth analysis on art, dance, literature, drama, fashion, lifestyle and entertainment. In Kolkata, the supplement "Voices" focuses on schools and schoolchildren. It started in 1995, providing the opportunity for school children to showcase their writing skills with research articles, poems and short news clips. Among other activities every year, "Voices" hosts a 2-day long festival called "Vibes" in Calcutta, which showcases inter-school competitions in different fields, as well as shows by musicians and bands.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Voices|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/voices|access-date=2021-03-19|website=The Statesman|language=en-US|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224232450/https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/voices|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Sunday supplement, "8th Day", is the major literary section of the paper, consisting of reader-contributed short stories and poems while the other Sunday supplement, "Evolve", mainly deals with the cultural scene in India. "Marquee", published every Saturday, covers the film and entertainment scene. Supplement of Dainik Statesman - every Saturday publishes Binodan where the news of art, culture, music, entertainment, food, fashion, lifestyle related articles are available. Every Sunday publishes Bichitra where the Sunday special articles, short stories, travel, children special issues are available.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
==Key personnel== R P Gupta is Chairman and Ravindra Kumar is Editor of The Statesman. Arya Rudra is Managing Editor and Vineet Gupta is Printer and Publisher of The Statesman.
Sister Edition ''Dainik Statesman'', a daily Bengali newspaper, was launched in June 2004 and is published simultaneously in Kolkata and Siliguri.
==Editorial incident==
In February 2009, ''The Statesman'' editor Ravindra Kumar was arrested on the charges of "hurting the religious feelings" of Muslims.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7883612.stm |title=Pair held for 'offending Islam' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214141931/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7883612.stm |archive-date=14 February 2009 |publisher=BBC News |location=Calcutta |first=Subir |last=Bhaumik}}</ref> BBC reported that Muslims were upset with ''The Statesman'' for reproducing Johann Hari's article "Why should I respect these oppressive religions?" from the UK's ''The Independent'' daily in its February edition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/editor-arrested-for-outraging-muslims-1607256.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/editor-arrested-for-outraging-muslims-1607256.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Editor arrested for 'outraging Muslims'|work=The Independent}}</ref>
==Rally sponsorship== thumb|Vintage car rally, April 2016 The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally has been held annually since 1964.
==See also== *''Junior Statesman'' *''Dainik Statesman'' *Indian English *List of newspapers in India by circulation *List of newspapers in the world by circulation
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * Merrill, John C.; Harold A. Fisher (1980). ''[https://archive.org/details/worldsgreatdaili0000merr The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers]''. pp. 294–97.
==External links== <!-- per WP:ELMINOFFICIAL, choose one official website only --> * {{official website}}
{{Newspapers in India}} {{Bengal famine of 1943}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Statesman}} Category:English-language newspapers published in India Category:Newspapers published in Kolkata Category:Newspapers published in Delhi Category:Newspapers established in 1875 Category:1875 establishments in India