The history of media in Kerala dates back to the 19^th century when Hermann Gundert started Rajyasamacharam in Thalassery in June 1847. Though it was Christian missionary paper, still it holds the distinction of being the first newspaper in Kerala. In the month of October that year another newspaper named Paschimodayam began printing from Thalassery. And the oldest newspaper still in circulation is Deepika, which was launched in 1887. In the century that followed, dozens of newspapers and magazines came into existence and with that the culture of newspaper reading. These papers and magazines heralded great social changes in Kerala and have had significant influences in shaping up the Malayali culture.

Kerala was home to some of the greatest names in Indian media history. Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pilla, Vakkom Abdul Khader Moulavi, Moorkoth Kumaran, T K Madhavan and such from the pre-Independence era and TVR Shenoy, TJS George, Thomas Jacob and many more in the post Independent era were behind the establishment of a strong media culture and media industry in Kerala. 

Though people are aware of a few names in the media field, many great journalists have been forgotten. The Academy’s Stalwarts of Journalism is an ambitious project to introduce these men and women who were instrumental in building our media sector. The professional lives of yesteryear journalists have been painstakingly collated and published here. This is a rare resource for media students and those interested in history.  This is an ongoing project and the Academy will be updating this section regularly.