Over the centuries, the Mongols accumulated a wealth of practical knowledge and a rich cultural heritage involving the writing and printing of books. The new progressive trend of publishing periodicals came into being in Mongolia more than 100 years ago. At the end of the 19th century, Buriad P.A.Badmayev published the first Mongolian language newspaper "Dornod Hyazgaariin Amidral" (Life of the Far East) in the town of Chita, with encouragement from the Tsarist Government of Russia. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia, China and Manchu began to publish newspapers for readers in Outer Mongolia in order to expand their influence on the spiritual life of the Mongols, thus giving impetus for the future development of a Mongolian periodical press.
In March 1913, the first issue of weekly "Shine Toli Khemeekh Bichig" (New Mirror Magazines) came off the press in Urguu, capital of Mongolia under an agreement between the Russian and Mongolian Governments. Then the first post office unit with 13 staff members was established, with the purpose of distributing the newspaper from the capital city in such remote regional centers as Hiyagt, Khaalgan and Uliyastai. Thus a distribution network for the Mongolian periodical press was put into operation. At the dawn of Bogd Gegeen's reign (1914) progressive Mongolian intelligentsia, who were strongly bent on achieving a national revival, published the paper "Niislel Khureenii Sonin Bichig" (The News from Capital City"). When the national revolutionary situation took shape, Mongolian migrant revolutionaries in neighboring Russia started issuing their own paper "Mongoliin Unen" (The Mongolian Truth) on 10 October 1920.
The stormy beginnings of a new historical era in Mongolia found a clear reflection in the materials of the paper. It has always been at the forefront of leading social changes and exerted considerable influence on public opinion. Mongolian Telegraphic Agency (MONTA) (today's MONTSAME News agency) was founded on July 1921. Its task was to provide domestic newspapers with foreign news and to disseminate abroad information on the development inside the country. "Mongoliin Unen" renamed later "Unen" (The Truth) was known for its independent editorial policies. At present, it is one of the most popular dailies in the country. The founding of a press organization in Mongolia proper was prompted by the appearance of a variety of newspapers, namely party (The People's Right), also youth (Our Truth), army (People's Army), trade union and other papers in the 1924-1928s.
The emergence of the specialized magazines, for example the sociopolitical "Mongolian People's Party" (later "Party Life"), "Opinion of Women" (later "Mongolian women") dates from the first years of the Revolution. Mongolian Radio was established in 1934. It was an important event in the cultural life of the country. In 1941 Bayan-Ulgii aimag, where mostly Mongolian khazakhs live, saw the first issue of a paper in their native language. Ever since then Mongolian towns and provinces began issuing papers of their own in the 1944-1946. Television broadcasting in Mongolia began in September 1967, heralding a new era in the history of mass media development. By the mid 1980s, the number of media outlets in Mongolia amounted to more than 70, including 13 central, 22 provincial newspapers, and 32 magazines, as well as National Radio and TV, News Agency MONTSAME.
Due to hard censorship serving the political and ideological system in Mongolia of that time, no freedom was applicable to the press. As a result of the democratic revolution of 1990, Mongolia declares a full-fledged market economy, multi-party democracy and equality of different form of the property after years of a command economy and one-party rule. A new Constitution, which came into force on 12 February 1992 created favorable conditions for sowing the seeds of the free press in Mongolia. In Articles 16 and 17, the Constitution declares that citizens of Mongolia shall enjoy "freedom of thought, opinion and expression, speech, press... and right to seek and receive information".
