The Tribune
Indian center-right
Background
The Tribune was founded on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (then British India, now Pakistan) by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a Sikh philanthropist who established it to promote English-language education and liberal reform in Punjab. Before his death, Majithia drafted a will in 1895 placing the paper under a Committee of Trustees, a structure that has insulated it from individual or corporate ownership ever since. The 1947 partition of British India forced the paper to evacuate Lahore; it briefly operated from Shimla and then relocated to Ambala Cantonment in 1948. In 1969, the paper moved to Chandigarh, the newly built capital of Punjab and Haryana, where it is still headquartered. It also publishes Punjabi-language (Punjabi Tribune) and Hindi-language (Dainik Tribune) sister editions. In 2015, a former editor publicly alleged the paper had shifted toward serving political interests, a claim the trust denied. Media Bias/Fact Check rates the outlet as right-center in Indian political terms, noting a tendency to produce more favorable coverage of the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Modi and more critical coverage of the Congress opposition, along with some concerns about sourcing practices. Circulation has declined in recent years, with the Chandigarh edition's audited circulation falling roughly 23 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the prior period.
Sources
- The Tribune (India) – Wikipedia
- About Us – The Tribune
- The Tribune Founder, Trustees and Editors – The Tribune
- History of The Tribune (Chandigarh) – Newspaper Advertising Encyclopedia
- The Tribune (India) – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
- Ex-Tribune editor alleges paper became propaganda tool – Scroll.in
Profile compiled 2026-07-08; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.