Aurora bids farewell: The last chapter in Pakistan's magazine legacy

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 3 months ago |  JP Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—With the publication of its final issue, Aurora Magazine, a publication of the Dawn Media Group, has officially ceased operations—signaling the quiet yet deeply symbolic end of an era in Pakistani print journalism.

Launched in 1998, Aurora chronicled the evolving worlds of advertising, branding, and marketing in Pakistan for 27 years. It emerged during a transformative period marked by the dot-com boom and an explosion in the local media landscape during General Pervez Musharraf’s regime. The magazine became a go-to resource not just for industry professionals but also for students, creatives, entrepreneurs, and academics.

In its final editorial, Aurora acknowledged the inevitable shift that forced its closure:

“With this issue, Aurora will be taking a pause. Disruption has finally caught up with the magazine as eyeballs migrate online, so do advertisers. Aurora had favoured print because it prioritises a large format design and display.”

It continued: “To our readers who have kept Aurora on track for 27 years with your presence and support. From a niche magazine with the remit to cover advertising, marketing and the media, our readers today are drawn from an increasingly wide cross-section of occupations and interests: start-up entrepreneurs, economists, policymakers, academics, students and thought leaders.”

“We are overwhelmed and grateful for your time and attention, and we are particularly proud that our pages have found resonance across generations, from Boomers to Gen Zers.”

Aurora’s closure is not an isolated incident—it is the latest in a long list of significant print publications that have shut down in recent years. Literary magazines such as Nuqoosh, Savera, Adab-i-Lateef, Funoon, Saqi, Seep, and Auraaq once nurtured creative expression and debate, offering space for both emerging and established voices.

Investigative journalism was once shaped by The Herald and Newsline. Herald, launched in 1969 by Pakistan Herald Publications (publishers of Dawn), suspended publication in August 2019. It had long been a powerhouse of in-depth reporting and analysis. Newsline, launched by the late Razia Bhatti in 1989, also closed in November 2019. Its final editor, Rehana Hakim, confirmed the closure and marked the end of a formidable chapter in fearless journalism.

As Aurora takes its final bow, it carries with it the legacy of an industry that once thrived on sharp thinking, creative design, and in-depth storytelling. The pages may stop turning, but their imprint remains in the minds of those who believed in the power of good print journalism.

اورورا کا الوداعی سلام: پاکستان کے میگزین ورثے کا آخری باب

اسلام آباد— ڈان میڈیا گروپ کے شائع کردہ اورورا میگزین نے اپنا آخری شمارہ جاری کر کے باضابطہ طور پر بندش کا اعلان کر دیا ہے۔ اس کے ساتھ ہی پاکستانی پرنٹ صحافت کے ایک سنہری دور کا اختتام ہو گیا ہے۔

1998 میں لانچ ہونے والا اورورا گزشتہ 27 برسوں سے پاکستان میں اشتہارات، مارکیٹنگ اور برانڈز کی دنیا کی نمائندگی کرتا رہا۔ یہ اس وقت سامنے آیا جب ملک میں جنرل پرویز مشرف کے دور میں میڈیا کو نئی آزادی ملی، اور ڈیجیٹل انقلاب نے خبروں اور معلومات کی دنیا بدل کر رکھ دی۔

اپنے آخری اداریے میں میگزین نے اعتراف کیا:

"With this issue, Aurora will be taking a pause. Disruption has finally caught up with the magazine as eyeballs migrate online, so do advertisers. Aurora had favoured print because it prioritises a large format design and display."

اداریے میں مزید لکھا گیا:

"To our readers who have kept Aurora on track for 27 years with your presence and support..."

"...we are particularly proud that our pages have found resonance across generations, from Boomers to Gen Zers."

اورورا صرف ایک میگزین نہیں تھا، بلکہ وہ آخری ستون تھا جس نے پاکستان میں معیاری میگزین کلچر کو برقرار رکھا۔ اس سے پہلے کئی ادبی جریدے جیسے نقوش، سویرا، ادب لطیف، فنون، ساقی، سیپ اور اوراق ادب اور فکر و فن کے گہوارے رہے۔

تحقیقی صحافت میں ہیرالڈ اور نیوز لائن کا ذکر بھی ضروری ہے۔ ہیرالڈ، جو 1969 میں ڈان کے ادارے نے شائع کیا، اگست 2019 میں بند ہوا۔ نیوز لائن، جسے 1989 میں رازیہ بھٹی (مرحومہ) نے شروع کیا، نومبر 2019 میں بند کر دیا گیا۔

اورورا کی خاموش رخصتی ایک دور کا خاتمہ ہے—ایسا دور جو صفحے، سیاہی اور سوچ کا امتزاج تھا۔ اب صرف یادیں رہ گئی ہیں اور وہ بصیرت جو کبھی ان صفحات میں بسی ہوئی تھی۔