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Dainik Bhaskar

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Dainik Bhaskar is a major Hindi-language daily newspaper based in India. It is owned by the Dainik Bhaskar Group, a large media organization. This newspaper is a significant part of the Indian media landscape. In 2016, the World Association of Newspapers ranked it fourth in the world by circulation. Within India, the Indian Audit Bureau of Circulations identified it as the largest newspaper by circulation. The name "Bhaskar" translates to "the Rising Sun" in English. The publication uses a graphic of a rising sun to symbolize a bright future.

The history of the publication began in 1948 with a newspaper called Subah Savere. This name means "Early Morning" in English. At that time, it was launched in Bhopal, while a version called Good Morning India appeared in Gwalior. In 1957, the name was changed to Bhaskar Samachar. By 1958, Ramesh Chandra Agarwal established the newspaper under its current name, Dainik Bhaskar, in Bhopal. The company began to expand significantly in 1983 when it launched the Indore edition.

To grow its readership, the Dainik Bhaskar Group uses detailed market research and surveys. In 1996, the group aimed to enter the Jaipur market in Rajasthan. They wanted to become the second-largest newspaper there on their first day. To prepare, an in-house team of 700 surveyors visited 200,000 households. They showed families a prototype, which is a preliminary model of the newspaper. They also offered an advance subscription for ₹1.50, which was a discount from the ₹2 newsstand price. This strategy worked well, as the paper sold 172,347 copies on its launch day in Jaipur.

The group uses different strategies depending on the local culture of each region. For example, when entering Chandigarh in May 2000, the paper faced a challenge. A survey of 220,000 households showed that residents preferred English-language newspapers. At that time, English papers outsold Hindi papers sixfold in that city. To adapt, Dainik Bhaskar incorporated the local Chandigarh dialect into its design. This created a mix of Hindi and English to better suit the local readers. This approach helped them sell 69,000 copies and become the number one paper in the city.

Today, the Dainik Bhaskar Group has a massive presence across many Indian states. It operates in 13 different states and produces 65 editions. These editions are printed in Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati. The group has a strong presence in Rajasthan, where it became the top urban newspaper by 1999. It also has many editions in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Bihar. The group has expanded its reach into Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and several other regions. In recent years, they have also moved into digital media with platforms for Android, iOS, and Windows.

Like many large organizations, the newspaper has faced legal and regulatory challenges. In July 2021, the Income Tax Department conducted raids at 30 locations belonging to the group. These raids took place in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Officials investigated allegations of tax evasion totaling 7,000,000,000 INR over a six-year period. Dainik Bhaskar claimed the raids were a response to their reporting on COVID-19 mismanagement. Several political leaders and the Editors Guild of India expressed concern regarding these events.

The newspaper has also had to correct instances of inaccurate reporting. In March 2023, the paper posted a video regarding migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. However, the Madras High Court ruled the report was "fake news." The court ordered the paper to issue a corrigendum, which is a formal correction, on its front page. In another instance, a report about slogans in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, was found to be false by fact-checkers. Additionally, an article in 2018 used an old photo of an elephant incorrectly. The photo was actually from Tamil Nadu and was eight months old, not from the Kerala floods.

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