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The New Straits Times is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first^[1]), having been founded as The Straits Times in 1845, and was reestablished as the "New Straits Times" in 1965. The paper served as Malaysia's only broadsheet format English language newspaper. However, following the heels of British newspapers The Times and The Independent, a tabloid version first rolled off the presses on 1 September 2004 and since 18 April 2005, the newspaper is published only in tabloid size, ending a 160-year-old tradition of broadsheet publication. The New Straits Times currently retails at RM1.20 (~36 USD cents). On 11 November 2011, 3D publication was introduced to the paper's print and online editions.

The New Straits Times is printed by the New Straits Times Press, which also produced the English language afternoon newspaper, The Malay Mail, until 1 January 2008, as well as assorted Malay language newspapers, most notably the Berita Harian. The New Straits Times is part of Media Prima group of companies.

As of 1 January 2009, the Group Editor of the New Straits Times is Syed Nadzri Syed Harun, while Kamrul Idris Zulkifli is Deputy Group Editor. Executive Editors, as of 1 January 2009, Lee Ah Chai (News) and Chandra Segaran (Production) and Lim Thow Boon.

Origins[link]

The paper was originally founded as The Straits Times and covered all of what was then British Malaya, and Singapore, where it was based. This continued when Singapore became part of Malaysia in 1963, but upon its departure from the Federation in 1965, a separate paper published and based in Malaysia the New Straits Times, was established, whilst The Straits Times has continued publication in Singapore.

In 1972, The then-owner, the Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad formed the News Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. in a desire to meet the reasonable aspirations of Malaysians to have a majority shareholding in the company which produced the largest mass-circulation organ in the English language. An agreement was reached on 17 September 1972 between the directors of the Straits Times group and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah for the disposal of 80 per cent of the stock of the News Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd for the Malaysian interets.^[2]

Incorporated sections[link]

[edit] Tech&U

Tech&U, was first published on 1 January 1986 as Computimes, an information and communication technology (ICT) section of the New Straits Times. It was earlier published every Thursday, and in the 1990s, the section was published on Mondays and Thursdays.

In 1 August 2005, a decision was made to focus the Monday edition on the enterprise market while the Thursday edition on the consumer market.

On 1 January 2008, Tech&U became a weekly publication, available with the New Straits Times every Monday with an increasing consumer slant while keeping the pulse on the enterprise scene.

Business Computing is also related to this section. It was a weekly section on Wednesdays, published from 1999 to 2004.

As of 1 January 2010, it has been incorporated and merged into the Life and Times section. The tech section in New Straits Times appears every Monday in the Life & Times section.

[edit] Travel Times

In 1999, this weekly pullout on travel in Malaysia was published in support of the government's Cuti-Cuti Malaysia campaign. It became the Malaysian weekly newspaper pullout dedicated to publishing travel and travel-related news and features and has remained till this day Malaysia's only weekly travel newspaper pullout dedicated to tourism. The first issue was released on 6 October 1999 and the first weekly issue was released on 2 October 2000. It was published every Wednesday when it started, and it was now published on Tuesdays until 31 December 2009 as "Travel". Starting 1 January 2010, it has been incorporated and merged into the Life & Times section. The travel section now appears on Thursdays.

[edit] Business Times

The paper has incorporated the Business Times starting 1 January 2002, expanding its business section and increasing its appeal among businessmen. Prior to 1976, this is also the business section's name of New Straits Times.

[edit] Emedia

The online arm of The New Straits Times Press group. 160 years of articles and images at News and Image Bank

Other Channels

Food Gadgets Properties Travel Fashion

[edit] Life & Times

The segment was previously known as Leisure Times, Times Two and Lifestyle prior to 1994. From 1998 to 2004, the Friday edition of this segment was called Youth Quake after it was merged with the newspaper. The Saturday edition is called Weekend Life & Times, which was later known as 6, from 2005 to 2009.

As of 1 January 2010, the weekly sections in Life & Times are:

• Monday: Technology
• Tuesday: Health
• Wednesday: Style
• Thursday: Travel
• Friday: Showbiz
• Saturday: Living
• Sunday: Family

Political control and controversy[link]

Owing to political sensitivities, newspapers from Malaysia cannot be sold in Singapore, hence the New Straits Times is not sold in Singapore, and The Straits Times is not sold in Malaysia. The ban was imposed before the 1 May 1969 general election in Malaysia.^[3] During 2005, the governments of both countries discussed lifting the ban, with Singapore's former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, speaking in favour of such a move, although Malaysian politicians were more wary.^[4]

In 2012, Senator Nick Xenophon, an independent member of the Australian Parliament, was on a fact-finding mission to Malaysia when he was caught up in anti-government protests in Kuala Lumpur. Subsequently, on 2 May 2012, the "New Straits Times" published an article written by Roy See Wei Zhi and headed "Observer under scrutiny"^[5]. The report replaced words from a 2009 speech made by Xenophon and turned it into an attack on Islam, ostensibly to pit Malay-Muslim opinion against the senator, who was a known associate of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. In fact the speech had been an attack on Scientology and is recorded as such in the Hansard of the Australian Senate. Xenophon threatened to sue the "New Straits Times" for defamation and the newspaper quickly removed the offending article from its website.^[6].

The gaffe sparked media outrage in both Malaysia and Australia^[7], and has greatly reinforced public perception that the New Straits Times and most mainstream media merely serve as propaganda mouthpieces for the ruling Barisan Nasional. As at 4 May 2012, Senator Xenophon has confirmed that he would sue NST in spite of their apology.^[8]

Comics[link]

The comic Scenes of Malaysian Life has been published in the New Straits Times.^[9]

2011 redesign and new logo[link]

In 2011, the New Straits Times underwent a redesign of its masthead, typography, contents and logo. The first edition in the new format was published on 11 November 2011. ^[10]

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Official New Straits Times website

v t e Media Prima Berhad Board of directors Datuk Johan Jaaffar (Chairman)  · Dato' Amrin Awaluddin (GMD) · Dato' Sri Ahmad Farid Ridzuan (Group CEO, TV Network) · Shahril Ridza Ridzuan · Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye · Dato' Abdul Kadir Deen · Datuk Ahmad A. Talib · Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Dato' Gumuri Hussain Radio stations Hot FM (Malay)  · Fly FM (English)  · one FM (Chinese) Broadcast television networks Malaysia: TV3 · ntv7 · 8TV · TV9 New Straits Times Press New Straits Times · Berita Harian · Harian Metro Production and distribution Primeworks Studios · mm Studios Advertising Big Tree · Gotcha · URL · TRC Event management Big Event New media Alt Media Annual revenue: RM · Stock symbol: MYX: 4502 · Website: www.mediaprima.com.my

The Straits Times is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 365,800.^[2] The weekly Sunday edition is known as The Sunday Times.

The Straits Times was established on 15 July 1845, in the early days of British colonial rule, and may be considered the successor to various other newspapers during the time such as the Singapore Chronicle. After Singapore became independent from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, the paper became more focused on the island leading to the creation of the New Straits Times for Malaysian readers.

Currently, the paper is one of Singapore's legally permitted print news source. SPH also publishes two other English-language dailies; the broadsheet The Business Times and The New Paper tabloid. The Straits Times is a member of the Asia News Network.

History[link]

The Straits Times was started by an Armenian, Catchick Moses.^[3] Moses's friend, Martyrose Apcar, had intended to start a local paper, but met with financial difficulties. To fulfil his friend's dream, Moses took over and appointed Robert Carr Woods as editor. On 15 July 1845, The Straits Times was launched as an eight-page weekly, published at 7 Commercial Square using a hand-operated press. The subscription fee then was Sp.$1.75 per month. In September 1846, he sold the paper to Robert Woods because the press proved unprofitable to run.

On 20 February 1942, five days after the British surrender to the Japanese, The Straits Times became known as The Shonan Times and The Syonan Shimbun. This name change lasted until 5 September 1945, when Singapore returned to British rule.

Coverage[link]

The Straits Times functions with 16 bureaus and special correspondents in major cities worldwide. The paper itself is published in four segments: the main section focuses on Asian and international news, with sub-sections of columns and editorials and the "Forum Page" (letters to the press). The "Home" section focuses on local news, together with sports and finance pages, which sometimes may be separated into a different section themselves. There is a classified ads and job listing section, followed by a separate lifestyle, entertainment and the arts section that is titled "Life!". On Saturdays, there is a separate "Saturday" section, which includes a special report (feature), and a science section, which reports on latest scientific developments.

Currently the newspaper publishes three weekly pull-outs ("Digital Life", "Mind Your Body", and "Urban" on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday respectively). All three pull-outs are printed in tabloid format.

The newspaper also publishes special editions for primary and secondary schools in Singapore. The primary-school version contains a special pull-out, titled "Little Red Dot" and the secondary-school version contains a pull-out titled "In".

The Straits Times is the only English language newspaper with an active Internet forum in Singapore. A separate edition The Sunday Times is published on Sundays.

Straits Times Interactive[link]

Launched on 1 January 1994, The Straits Times Interactive was free of charge and granted access to all the sections and articles found in the print edition. On 1 January 2005, the online version began requiring registration and after a short period became a paid-access-only site. Currently, only people who subscribe to the online edition can read all the articles on the Internet, including the frequently-updated "Latest News" section.

A free section, featuring a selection of news stories, is currently available at the site. Regular podcast, vodcast and twice-daily—mid-day and evening updates—radio-news bulletins are also available for free online.

The Straits Times's decision to make its online edition almost entirely subscription-funded is in contrast to other traditional newspapers online editions, which often charge only for certain sections, such as archives, or for digital editions.

Community programmes[link]

The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund[link]

The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund was initiated on Children's Day (October 1) in the year 1993 by The Straits Times, to heighten public awareness of the plight of children from low-income families who were attending school without proper breakfast, or pocket money to sustain their day in school.

The aim is to alleviate the financial burden faced by parents in providing for their children's education. At the same time the funds will help children who are already facing difficulties in remaining in school to stay on.

In the past few years, members of the public, schools and corporations responded generously after reading stories highlighting children especially those from single parent families who were most affected.

Since donations to the fund are collected prior to the year it is disbursed, donations received in a given year go on to help the people who apply to the fund the following year. An estimate on the amount that needs to be raised is based on the projection provided by the National Council of Social Service.

The National Council of Social Services which administers the funds, makes quarterly disbursements to agencies, such as the Family Service Centres (FSC) Special schools and Children's Homes to benefit their eligible clients.

Currently 38 FSCs, 22 Special Schools and 13 Children's Homes have been commissioned to administer the scheme. Agencies approval is based on a set of eligibility criteria and assessment of the family's financial situation. Based on the assessment of the case, social workers recommend the disbursement. The approval of either the Director of the Family Service Centre, Principal of a Special School or Head of a home is required for each application.

10% of all donations go to the National Council of Social Service for their administrative costs. Singapore Press Holdings does not take any cut of any donations.

From 1 January 2008, primary school pupils will receive $45 a month, up from $35, while secondary school students will get $80, up from the current $60 Chua, Grace & Lim, Jessica (2008). More help for pocket money fund students. Other qualifying criteria will also be tweaked Children from families earning up to $450 a person, or $1,800 for a family of four, can now apply for help from the fund. Previously, the income cut-off was $300 a head. Students will also be eligible for funding until they complete secondary school, instead of up to age 17, as was the case previously.

The Straits Times Media Club[link]

The Straits Times Media Club is a youth programme to encourage youth readership and interest in news and current affairs. Schools will have to subscribe for at least 500 copies, and will receive their papers every Monday. A youth newspaper, IN, is slotted in together with the main paper for the students.

The Straits Times School of Rock Competition[link]

The Straits Times School of Rock Competition was incepted in 2005. Budding young bands with members aged between 13 to 18 compete to be the ultimate youth band in Singapore. The finals of the competition was held at a local shopping mall in small town, Junction 8 Shopping Centre on 1 January 2005.

The Straits Times National Schools Newspaper Competition[link]

The National Schools Newspaper Competition started its inaugural year in 2005. Although 20 schools qualified for the semi-finals based on their school newsletters, only 10 schools made it to the finals. These 10 secondary schools then participate in the finals at the SPH News Centre.

Results[link]

Criticism[link]

The Straits Times has sometimes been criticized as being the mouthpiece of the ruling party, the People's Action Party and lacks the freedom to criticize the government. The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act of 1974 requires all newspapers to be publicly listed into both ordinary and management shares, with management shares having 200 times the voting rights of ordinary shares and approval from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts needed for any management share transfers. Past chairpersons of Singapore Press Holdings have been civil servants. SPH's former executive president Tjong Yik Min served as the head of the Internal Security Department from 1986 to 1993.

Former Minister George Yeo, when he held the portfolio of Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, stressed that the media was not to be a "fourth estate" in ruling the country; the role of the press was to aid "nation building", in view of Singapore's heterogeneous society and peculiar vulnerabilities as a small nation.

Cherian George, a former art editor of the paper, has once described press workings in Singapore in a convention conference in 1998 at the University of California, Berkeley:

In the Singapore model, the elected government is the expression of democracy, and it is protected from the press, which is unelected and therefore undemocratic.... "the 'freedom from the press' model does mean that newspapers must operate within much narrower perimeters than their counterparts in most parts of the world. It must accept its subordinate role in society...The tone of stories must be respectful towards the country's leaders. They can be critical, but they cannot ridicule or lampoon.

A United States diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks^[4] quotes Chua Chin Hon, the Straits Times' U.S. bureau chief, saying that the paper's "editors have all been groomed as pro-government supporters and are careful to ensure that reporting of local events adheres closely to the official line", and that "the government exerts significant pressure on ST editors to ensure that published articles follow the government's line".^[5]

Other incidents[link]

Owing to political sensitivities The Straits Times is not sold in neighboring Malaysia, and the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times is not sold in Singapore. The ban was imposed before the 31 August 1957 general election in Malaysia. During 1 January 2005 the governments of both countries discussed lifting the ban with Singapore former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew speaking in favour of such a move, although Malaysia politicians were more wary. At one point during an international dispute over the sale of water, the newspaper was banned in Malaysia.

On 1 January 2005, bloggers accused Sandra Davie, the Times Educational Correspondent of plagiarism.

Editors[link]

^[6]

Notable personalities[link]

• Catchick Moses, the Armenian founder of the paper
• Robert Carr Woods, the paper's first editor
• Susan Long, (Enterprise Editor/Journalist—Wrote an editorial, "NKF: Controversially ahead of its time?", published in The Straits Times on 1 January 2002, which became the subject of the dispute involving the National Kidney Foundation Singapore and SPH, and eventually the lawsuit that led to the National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal)
• Ching Cheong, (Ex-Chief China Correspondent (Now Senior Writer based in Hong Kong Formerly held by Chinese authorities on espionage charges)
• Koh Buck Song, columnist 1990-99, 2004–05
• Miel Prudencio Ma, (Cartoonist and Senior Executive Artist, SPH)
• Ernest Corea, Features Editor and Foreign Affairs columnist

See also[link]

• New Straits Times
• Singapore Press Holdings

Notes[link]

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2011)

• Thio, HR and the Media in Singapore in HR and the Media, Robert Haas ed, Malaysia: AIDCOM 1996 69 at 72-5.
• 141st Media : Refers to the Singapore Mass Media. Singapore was ranked 141 out of 169 in the "Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007" by "Reporters Without Borders".
• 146th Media : (obsolete) Refers to the Singapore Mass Media. Singapore was ranked 146 out of 168 in the "Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006" by "Reporters Without Borders".
• 154th Media : Refers to the Singapore Mass Media. Singapore was ranked 154 out of 195 in the "2007 Freedom of the Press World Ranking" by "Freedom House".

External links[link]

• SPH NewsLink—Archive of Straits Times Articles
• Search digitised Singapore newspapers from 1831-2009