Madhyamam (meaning Medium) is a Malayalam-language newspaper published in Kerala, India, since 1987.Registrar of Newspapers of India . (PDF). It was founded by Ideal Publications Trust run by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind wing in Kerala. It has nine editions in India (seven in Kerala and one each in Mangalore and Bangalore) and its Persian Gulf edition Gulf Madhyamam has nine in the Middle East.
According to Indian Readership Survey 2021Top 5 Malayalam Dailies: Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2021 – Round 1 and IRS 2010 Q4, it is the fourth popular newspaper in Kerala with a circulation of 1.5 lakhs and readership of 6 lakhs.
The newspaper and its team of journalists have secured nearly ninety awards including Ramnath Goenka Journalism Award, Statesman Award for Rural Reporting, PUCL Journalism Award for Human Rights, ESR World Journalism Prize and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) Developing Asia Journalism Award.
Ownership Madhyamam is owned by the Ideal Publications Trust under Jamaat-e-Islami. The trust claims as their aim "providing non-profit non-partisan and value-based journalistic service free from market pressures". The non-profit nature of the ownership, it says ensures the paper stays free of market compulsions of a business concern and be selective in the advertisements it publishes.
History
Madhyamam began publishing in 1987 at Silver Hills near Calicut. Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar inaugurated the newspaper.Madhyamam- media revolution in the south. Milligazette.com (15 July 2004). Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Malayalam writer, described it as "the birth of a silver star".
The opening editorial on 1 June 1987 read:
The second edition was launched in July 1993 at Cochin, followed by the third at Trivandrum in April 1996. Gulf Madhyamam was first published from Bahrain in 1998 and then from Dubai in 2002.The National – The news that changed everything. The National (Abu Dhabi). (16 October 2013).
K C Abdullah, P K Balakrishnan, and K A Kodungallur were among its early editors. Renowned writer C Radhakrishnan served as its consultant editor from 1997 to 1999.Welcome to the home page of C. Radhakrishnan . C-radhakrishnan.info (15 February 1939). O Abdurahman is the current editor of Madhyamam, and PA Abdul Hakeem is the publisher in charge. VK Hamza Abbas is the chief editor of Gulf Madhyamam. Media critique Dr. K Yasin Ashraf is the associate editor of Madhyamam.
Supplements
Apart from the daily edition, Madhyamam has an online edition at madhyamam.com and also publishes various supplements:
Varadya Madhyamam, a weekend supplement Madhyamam Kudumbam (Family Madhyamam), focussing on family and children Thozhil Madhyamam, a career supplement Vidhyabhyasa Madhyamam, an education supplement Info Madhyamam, an IT supplement Madhyamam Annual, an annual supplement Madhyamam Vidhya, an educational supplement Ruchi, a Recipe Magazine Upabhokthr (Consumer) Madhyamam, a business supplement Velicham, a school supplement
Growth Madhyamam has the fourth largest circulation in Kerala, and combined with Gulf Madhyamam, the market leader amongst Malayalam newspapers in the Middle East, has the third largest circulation amongst Malayalam newspapers.Madhyamam A Muslim media success story . Rediff.com (12 March 2009).
It now has nine editions in India: in Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Kochi, Malappuram, Kannur, Thrissur, Bangalore, Mangalore and Mumbai. The edition at Thrissur was inaugurated on 18 August 2009 by the Defence Minister of India A.K Antony.Madhyamam Thrissur edition launched . Samaylive.com (15 February 2010). In April 2011, the paper expanded to its 10th edition in India from Mumbai. The Governor of Maharashtra State handed over a copy to Oscar award winner Resul Pookutty.Maha Governor launches Mumbai edition of daily 'Madhyamam', IBN Live News. Ibnlive.in.com (22 April 2011).
Gulf Madhyamam Gulf Madhyamam, a subsidiary, is the first international Indian newspaper and most popular Malayalam newspaper in the Middle East, with more editions in the Persian Gulf countries than any other daily in the Middle East.IPSOS-STAT Survey 2009 It is published from four locations in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and Abha), one in the UAE (Dubai), one in Oman (Muscat), and from Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.Malayalam Newspapers eye Gulf as home markets slow down –. Zawya.com (10 May 2009).
Okaz group, a leading media conglomerate in Saudi Arabia, has tied up with the Gulf Madhyamam Daily, the No.1 Malayalam daily in the Middle East. It is published from nine centres in the Persian Gulf region, with four editions in Saudi Arabia. The partnership will enable both media houses to enhance their distribution network.Okaz Organization ties up with Gulf Madhyamam . Saudi Gazette (19 June 2013).
Other publications In October 2001, Madyamam Health launched a healthcare scheme for the poor, "Santhwanam", and has so far reportedly spent more than Rs 30 million to treat almost 5000 patients.
Kudumbam is the Lifestyle monthly family magazine, Ruchi is a recipe and health Magazine, Madhyamam Vidhya is an annual educational Magazine, Madhyamam Online is a Malayalam online News portal and Madhyamam English is an English online news portal.
Television channel The Madhyamam Group also runs a Malayalam-language news-cum-entertainment television channel named Media One TV. The channel was licensed in September 2011 and was officially launched on 10 February 2013. The main studio is located at Velliparamba, Kozhikode.TV channels storm arena in Kerala's political battle. Indian Express (2 May 2011).
Awards and honours
The Madhyamam team has won numerous national and international awards for its contribution to journalism and in particular issues of agriculture, rural development and human rights.
International honours Savad Rahman, a sub-editor at Madhyamam, won the Development Journalist of the Year prize at the Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA), sponsored by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). An article on the plight of women trapped in the brothels of Mumbai earned him the prize. He also won the Diversity and Equal Opportunity special prize at the ESR World Journalism Prize 2007 for his feature "Bant Singh The Lion of Mansa", about Bant Singh, a Dalit activist in Punjab.Social Environmental Responsibility World Journalism Prize winners announced. Editorsweblog.org (24 October 2007). won a silver medal for Tokyo Olympics print design competition 2021 conducted by newspaperdesign.in
National awards P.K. Prakash, a senior staff reporter since 1996, won the 23rd "Journalism for Human Rights" award instituted by the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in 2003. His reports on the Adivasi land issue in Muthanga, the illegal kidney trade in Kerala,Illegal Kidney trade in Kerala . Frontlineonnet.com. prisoner torture at the Aluva Sub-jail, and the illegal viagra experiments on infants at a private hospital in KochiBritish Medical Journal 2002;325:181 (27 July). BMJ. earned him the award.PUCL Bulletin, May 2004 P.K. Prakash, Citation:23rd PUCL Journalism for Human Rights Award . Pucl.org (23 March 2004)."Awards for scribes". The Hindu. (4 March 2004). He also earned a special mention from the PUCL award committee the previous year.. Hinduonnet.com (5 March 2003).
His article series "Choothattam Thudarunna vipani" (The continuing gambles of the market, published 26–30 Oct 2007), explaining the impact of globalisation on the remote corners of rural India, and "Bhoomiyude jaathi" (Caste of the land), an analytical study on the impact of land reforms on the Dalit population in Kerala, won him "The Statesman Award for the Best Rural Reporting – First Prize" (2007),Statesman Awards for Rural Reporting announced. News.oneindia.in (16 September 2007)."Capturing myriad images of rural India", The Statesman, Kolkata 16 September 2007. WEEKLY NEWS ROUND UP 88 (archive) The Times of India. and the Ramnath Goenka "Excellence in Journalism Awards for Regional Languages 2007–2008" – Print category.Stories behind the story. The Indian Express. (19 April 2009). He also received the 12th National Media Fellowship instituted by the National Foundation for India, a Rs. 100,000 grant for conducting studies on the plight of adivasis in the Kerala model of development.National media fellowship. The Hindu. (4 December 2006).
MJ Babu, a senior reporter of Madhyamam since 1993, twice won "The Statesman Award for the Best Rural Reporting", first in 1998 and then in 2008. His series of articles titled "Pattanam gramathodu cheyyunnath" (What a city does to a village, published:7–9 April 2008) won him the 2008 award. The series was about the sorry plight of the people living around the Canoli canal of the Chakkamkandam Lake in Guruvayoor where all the waste including human excreta from the city were dumped making it a breeding ground for many diseases. It also highlighted how paddy cultivation near Guruvayoor was destroyed due to pollution.Of those who wrote of the untold woes – The Statesman 17 September 2009
State government awards
PK Prakash won the 2007 Ambedkar Media Award instituted by the Government of Kerala, for his report on "Bhoomiyude jaathi" (Caste of the land), an analytical study on the impact of land reforms on the Dalit population in Kerala.Awards for media reports on Dalit issues The Hindu Kerala – Thiruvananthapuram Monday, Nov 12, 2007. The Hindu. (12 November 2007). He also won the same in 2004 for his investigative report on the illegal kidney trade in Kerala.Chandy calls for tackling hunger The Hindu 13 Nov 2004 Kerala – Thiruvananthapuram. The Hindu. (13 November 2004).
Jisha Elizabeth, a reporter at the daily, won the award in 2009 for her article series on a tribal colony working its way to join the mainstream of society with the help of the government.Media awards The Hindu 10 Nov 2009. The Hindu. (10 November 2009).
NS Nisar, currently Chief Sub Editor at madhyamam.com, won the BR Ambedkar Award for outstanding news reports on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, instituted by the Government of Kerala, for his articles ‘Veyilettu Vadiya Prathibha Vilasangal’, ‘Ente Aattinkoodanu Ee Veedinekkal Nallathu’, and ‘Babuvilninnu Ramyayilekku – Oradivasiyude Jeevithapath’. The reports were published in the Madhyamam Weekly in 2016.
Razak Thazhathangadi, press photographer at the newspaper, won the State Media Award 2003 in the news photography category for his photographs titled "Niram Maratha Nimisham" (The moment which did not change colour).
N P Jishar, Senior correspondent, won the media award constituted by the Department of Culture, Govt of Kerala, for best reporting in International Film Festival of Kerala in December 2010, and a media award for state school Kalolsavam reporting constituted by Department of Education, Government of Kerala 2010.
Press Club / Press Academy awards
Madhyamam reporter Akbarali Puthunagaram won the Theruvath Raman Award 2006 instituted by the Calicut Press Club for his work "Super Chikiltsa, Hitech Kolla" (Superior treatment, Hi-Tech exploitation), which appeared between 31 August to 5 September 2006.Award for 'Madhyamam' reporter. News.webindia123.com.
Assistant Editor T P Cheruppa won the award in 2007 for his editorial "Nellu Mlechamo" (Is paddy shameful? – 11 Dec 2007).Madhyamam bags theruvath raman award. News.oneindia.in (10 July 2008).