South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post published its first issue on the 6th of November 1903. Anti-Qing revolutionary Tse Tsan-tai and British journalist Alfred Cunningham established the newspaper that year. Their goal remains disputed, though many attribute it to supporting late-Qing dynasty reform movements. Early editorials came from British journalists like Cunningham, Douglas Story, and Thomas Petrie. Tse attracted business to the paper while editors maintained good relations with the Hong Kong government. In 1904, circulation reached just 300 copies. The publication faced competition from three other English-language newspapers: the Hong Kong Daily Press, China Mail, and Hong Kong Telegraph.
After World War II, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation bought majority shares in the newspaper. It listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in November 1971 before being privatized again in 1987. News Corporation purchased the paper for HK$2.2 billion (US$284.4 million) in 1986. Rupert Murdoch held a controlling interest until September 1993 when he sold his stake. Malaysian businessman Robert Kuok acquired 34.9 percent through Kerry Media for US$375 million. Kuok's son, Kuok Khoon Ean, became chairman at the end of 1997. His sister, Kuok Hui Kwong, took over as chief executive officer on the 1st of January 2009. Alibaba Group completed its acquisition of SCMP media assets on the 5th of April 2016 for HK$2 billion (US$266 million). Former Digg CEO Gary Liu became chief executive officer in January 2017.
Questions about editorial independence arose after Robert Kuok purchased the newspaper in the mid-1990s. Cartoonist Larry Feign was abruptly dismissed and his satirical comic strip "Lily Wong" axed in 1995. His firing was defended as cost cutting but widely viewed as political self-censorship. Humor columnist Nury Vittachi documented pressures to abstain from writing on topics deemed sensitive. Beijing correspondent Jasper Becker and China pages editor Willy Lam also departed during this period. In 2012, Editor-in-Chief Wang Xiangwei reduced coverage of Li Wangyang's death on the 7th of June 2012. He returned to the office after midnight to reverse staff editors' decision to run a full story. The paper published only a two-paragraph report inside while other news media reported it prominently. Reporter Paul Mooney claimed Wang had long marginalized him by blocking China stories before his contract ended in May 2012.
The South China Morning Post maintained relatively stable circulation for years, totaling about 100,000 daily copies as of 2015. Average audited circulation for the first half of 2007 stood at 106,054 copies. Its Sunday edition reached 80,865 readers that same period. By 1993, daily circulation exceeded 100,000 and posted profits of HK$586 million (US$75.6 million) from mid-1992 to mid-1993. The group reported net profit of HK$338 million for 2006. SCMP Group posted a profit of $52.3 million in the first half of 2010. Profits declined since peaking in 1997 at HK$805 million. In September 2024, the paper reaches 35 million monthly readers across multiple platforms. A 2019 survey found it regarded as the most credible paid newspaper in Hong Kong with a credibility rating of 6.54.
On the 22nd of July 2017, the paper published commentary by Shirley Yam insinuating Li Qianxin is the daughter of Li Zhanshu. It showed public records connecting her to Singaporean investor Chua Hwa Por. The piece was later removed and replaced with a statement citing "multiple unverifiable insinations." Yam eventually resigned. In 2016, questions arose about an interview with Zhao Wei, legal assistant of human rights defender Li Heping. She was in custody when contacted days after release from prison while still under security forces' control. The interview quoted Zhao giving what appeared to be a forced confession. In 2018, the South China Morning Post published an interview with Gui Minhai who was detained in China at the time. Magnus Fiskesjö, associate professor at Cornell University, stated SCMP could no longer be trusted as independent following this incident. Peter Langan resigned in October 2022 after his three-month investigation into Xinjiang human rights abuses was rejected.
SCMP.com launched online in December 1996 as a subscription-only service allowing archive retrieval back to 1993. On the 30th of May 2007, it relaunched with new features and multimedia content. A major redesign occurred on the 20th of April 2015. New owners announced removal of the paywall in December 2015, which happened on the night of the 4th of April 2016. The news site remains blocked in mainland China as of 2018. The group discontinued several subsidiary publications including its Chinese-language edition nanzao.com shut down in 2016. HK Magazine editor Zach Hines criticized deleting website content as unthinkable for a newspaper of record. Mart van de Ven, Hong Kong data scientist, launched public appeal to archive back issues but found he could not access issue 1,103 featuring Leung Chun-ying on cover. In 2025, the paper won WAN-IFRA's Best Digital Subscription or Reader Revenue Project award for SCMP Plus.
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Common questions
When did the South China Morning Post publish its first issue?
The South China Morning Post published its first issue on the 6th of November 1903. Anti-Qing revolutionary Tse Tsan-tai and British journalist Alfred Cunningham established the newspaper that year.
Who owns the South China Morning Post as of 2017?
Alibaba Group completed its acquisition of SCMP media assets on the 5th of April 2016 for HK$2 billion (US$266 million). Former Digg CEO Gary Liu became chief executive officer in January 2017.
Why was cartoonist Larry Feign dismissed from the South China Morning Post?
Cartoonist Larry Feign was abruptly dismissed and his satirical comic strip Lily Wong axed in 1995. His firing was defended as cost cutting but widely viewed as political self-censorship.
How many monthly readers does the South China Morning Post have in September 2024?
In September 2024, the paper reaches 35 million monthly readers across multiple platforms. A 2019 survey found it regarded as the most credible paid newspaper in Hong Kong with a credibility rating of 6.54.
When did the South China Morning Post remove its paywall?
New owners announced removal of the paywall in December 2015, which happened on the night of the 4th of April 2016. The news site remains blocked in mainland China as of 2018.