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- Until the 1980s, the Statesman was pretty much the only English-language newspaper in Bengal, with the circulation of the now-defunct Amrita Bazaar Patrika being too small. The Statesman was opposed to the Congress because of the Emergency. CR Irani, cousin of Nani Palkhivala led the opposition in the English-language press (along with Ramnath Goenka of the Express). When the Left came into power, the Statesman also criticised Jyoti Basu and became an enemy of the Left.
- In the 1980s, the Telegraph was launched by Aveek Sarkar, with MJ Akbar as its editor. Akbar and Sarkar also strongly opposed Jyoti Basu, but unlike CR Irani they were fiercely pro-Congress and Akbar would eventually fight elections on a Congress ticket.
- In the 1990s, the Telegraph began to catch up with the Statesman in circulation, as it offered colourful supplements for a low price and devoted a lot of coverage to sports and movies, while the Statesman was seen as too old-fashioned and out of touch with the youth. By the late 1990s, the Telegraph moved ahead. In terms of ideology, the Telegraph continued to be critical of the Left and kept up its pro-Congress line, while the Statesman attacked both. Both newspapers also became strong opponents of the BJP. Post-Babri, MJ Akbar constantly attacked the BJP, while Irani and AG Noorani led the attack from the Statesman's side. The TMC only came into existence in the late 90s.
- In the 2000s, the gap between the Telegraph and the Statesman widened hugely and the Times of India (the new kid in town) eventually assumed second spot. The Telegraph was more or less neutral towards the TMC. The TOI was neutral and appeased the right people all around, across parties. The Statesman again made enemies across the board. Irani lost a defamation case filed by the RSS after an editorial accused the RSS of murdering Gandhi. Also, the deputy editor (Ravindra Kumar) was arrested by the Left front government after the Statesman reproduced an article, from the left-wing British newspaper The Independent, which advocated atheism and which Muslim groups found to be "anti-Islamic".
- By 2011, when Mamata came into power, the Telegraph was firmly the dominant player in town and the ABP group was also the dominant player in TV news through Star Ananda (now ABP Ananda). The Telegraph, ABP and Star Ananda shuffled between taking pro-Mamata and anti-Mamata positions, but by 2014 Aveek Sarkar became furiously anti-Mamata because of the RCGC issue (which I guess you know little about, if you are a Gen Z person). Aveek then acted behind the scenes to get the Left and Congress together during the 2016 election and supported the coalition wholeheartedly. But he got his fingers burnt as the coalition got thrashed. Aveek was then removed on Mamata's instructions and replaced by Arup Sarkar.
- As things now stand, Bengal is an industrial wasteland and papers rely on government patronage through ads. That's why the Telegraph has sold itself to the TMC, which even Newslaundry acknowledges to be pro-TMC and only TMC trolls like you don't. Arup Sarkar has given way to his son Atideb Sarkar, whose ethics are even worse. The Times of India tries to appease everyone, through pro-BJP reporters in Delhi and pro-TMC reporters in Bengal. Meanwhile, the Statesman (though still published) is nearly extinct. It is so debt-ridden that it has sold Statesman House in Chowringhee, one of the oldest and grandest buildings in Kolkata, to a property developer to turn into a mall. Also, MJ Akbar is now a BJP man.
That's the story of Bengal and its media.