Honouring the Pioneer

Syed Mohammad Ali

Syed Mohammad Ali is a legendary name in the history of journalism in Bangladesh. Popularly known as S M Ali, his contributions in national and international dailies and magazines made him a popular intellectual figure in South and South East Asia. He has served in editorial positions of renowned dailies like The Pakistan Times, The Bangkok Post, The Asia Magazine and The Bangladesh Observer. He was the founding editor of the country’s most circulated English daily, The Daily Star. By launching this daily in 1991, he has made exemplary changes in the traditional practices of journalism. We remember this great intellectual on his 86th birth anniversary.

Syed Mohammad Ali was born on December 5, 1928 in a distinguished literary family of Sylhet, Bangladesh
He was the nephew of famous Bengali writers Syed Mujtaba Ali and Syed Murtaja Ali
He completed his graduation and post-graduation from the English Department of Dhaka University in 1952
Then he went to England to pursue higher studies in journalism and there he worked with  the News Chronicle of London and the BBC

S M Ali in his younger days.

S M Ali's journalism career began in his student life in 1949 as a staff reporter of the newly launched Pakistan Observer
On his return to Pakistan from England in 1954 he joined the Dawn in Karachi, and rejoined Pakistan Observer in 1956 as a staff reporter
In 1960 he joined The Pakistan Times as assistant editor
In 1962 he became the assistant editor of the Hong Kong based regional publication The Asia Magazine

His outstanding performance as a journalist made him the Executive Director of Manila based Press Foundation of Asia and he continued to serve there as CEO till 1981
Upon returning to Bangladesh, he joined The Bangladesh Observer as its editor but left it after only six months
His dream of creating his own newspaper in his motherland became true when he launched The Daily Star in 1991
Soon after its launching, The Daily Star stood out among all the English dailies of Bangladesh with its dedicated and honest journalism

Ali's book After the Dark Night was published in 1974 by Thomson Press (India)
He was the UNESCO's regional communication adviser for Asia and the Pacific
He was also the chairman of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB).
S M Ali died when he was at the peak of his editorial role at The Daily Star in 1993 at the age of 65