The firstly weekly Bengali newspaper ‘Samachar Darpan’ was published by—

The 'Samachar Darpan' was the first Bengali weekly newspaper, launched on May 23, 1818 [1][t1]. It was published by the Baptist Missionary Society at the Serampore Mission Press [t1][t5]. The press was founded by the 'Serampore Trio'—William Carey, William Ward, and Joshua Marshman [c1][t5]. Joshua Marshman, along with Carey, provided the tutelage and editorial direction for the publication [t2][t9]. While Harish Chandra Mukherjee was associated with 'The Hindoo Patriot' [t4] and Dinabandhu Mitra authored the play 'Nil Darpan' [t7], Marshman was the key figure behind the missionary-led 'Samachar Darpan' [t2][t9]. The newspaper initially focused on social reforms and news, eventually becoming a bilingual weekly in 1829 [t9]. It played a significant role in evolving modern Bengali prose and disseminating information during the early 19th century [c5][t9].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 19: Towards Modernity > 19.7 Christian Missionaries > p. 306