News Agencies’ allocate and disseminate news, usually for newspapers and periodicals and broadcasters. One of the oldest news agencies in the world, the Reuter Telegram Company, known in short as Reuters, had its branches in different parts of British India including Bengal. The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) was the first news agency to operate in Pakistan in September 1949. It had its head office at Karachi and two branches in East Pakistan, one at Dhaka and the other at Chittagong. In the same year, a privately owned news agency, the United Press of Pakistan (UPP), was launched in Karachi with its branch office at Dhaka. Another private news agency, initially named Pakistan Press Agency (PPA) and later renamed Pakistan Press International (PPI), started functioning in June 1956 with its headquarters at Karachi and a branch office in Dhaka. The Eastern News Agency (ENA), the first locally owned independent news agency in East Pakistan was established in March 1968 as a private limited company by Journalist Golam Rasul Mallick. ENA wire services incurred the wrath of the military government of Pakistan in 1971 and the services of the agency remained suspended & oppressed during the entire period of the War of Liberation for about 9 month.

After independence, APP was transformed into a state-owned news agency called bangladesh sangbad sangstha (BSS). PPI was allowed to operate with the newly transformed Bangladesh Press International (BPI), which was later merged with the BSS. Other major news agencies that operate in the country are mostly privately owned namely Eastern News Agency (ENA),United News of Bangladesh (UNB). International news agencies such as Reuters, Associated Press (AP) and Agence France Press (AFP) have bureau offices in Dhaka. In addition, many national, regional and international news agencies such as Press Trust of India (PTI), IRNA, IINA, Antara and Xinhua have representations in Bangladesh in the shape of stringers.

On Contrary Eastern News Agency’ reinstated in 1972 . The aim & objective to conceive this News Agency in operation to extend free flow freedom of expression as well to project news before the world with speed & accuracy.Thus ENA became the first privately-owned news agency in Bangladesh as noted by the Great Leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh. Needless to point out that the News Agency earned fabulous appreciation of the mass people for its role during the eventful years of 1970-71.