The Straits Times

• 1. Founding And Early Struggles

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  On the 15th of July 1845, Catchick Moses and Robert Carr Woods Sr. launched The Straits Times from a hand-operated press at 7 Commercial Square in Singapore. The paper began as an eight-page weekly with a subscription fee of Sp.$1.75 per month. Woods sought to distinguish his publication by including humour, short stories, and foreign news delivered via regular steamship services. Historian Mary Turnbull disputes the narrative that an Armenian merchant would have wanted to found such a newspaper given the presence of the more established Singapore Free Press. By September 1846, the press proved unprofitable to run, so Moses gave the paper to Woods outright because he was unable to sell it. The new owner covered financial deficits by using the printing press for other projects like The Straits Times Almanack published in 1846. A major political stance taken early on involved James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak. Woods personally resented Brooke and charged that his actions against Dayak pirates were actually a massacre of peaceful civilian merchants. This controversy boosted circulation for both papers when the rival Singapore Free Press came to Brooke's defence. Woods petitioned the British government for an inquest of Brooke's actions in 1851, leading to a commission convened in 1854. Although Brooke was exonerated, the episode made The Straits Times a success and it became a daily newspaper in 1858.

• 2. Colonial Era Editorial Stance

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  Under editor Alexander W. Still who held the post for 18 years starting after Reid's retirement, The Straits Times built a reputation as the Thunderer of the East. Still believed the press had great functions to perform as the chief safeguard against corruption in modern society. He attacked the actions of governor Laurence Guillemard regarding back-room discussions of proposed constitutional changes. In an editorial Still replied that such demands were mere pompous nonsense when addressed to a free people and a free press. During his leadership circulation grew from 3,600 in 1910 to 4,100 in 1920 while ad revenues increased. Still's outspokenness resulted in a number of libel suits which were either lost or settled privately out of court. Despite this bold reporting the paper focused predominantly on British events while ignoring socio-economic issues of concern to Malay Chinese and Indian populations. Coverage of non-British events was typically restricted to court cases or sensationalised crimes like the Tok Janggut rebellion in Kelantan in 1915. Asian reporters at The Straits Times experienced discrimination in the workplace and while on assignment. Peter Benson Maxwell an Indian reporter arranged an interview with governor Cecil Clementi via Clementi's secretary but was quickly removed from Government House when he arrived in person. Still considered the Asian population untrustworthy and suggested they should not hold positions of power or serve in the military.

• 3. Japanese Occupation And Renaming

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  On the 8th of December 1941 Japanese attacks began in the northern Malay states just one day after Pearl Harbor. Five days later commander orders called for evacuation of all European women children and military personnel from Penang. Governor Shenton Thomas insisted that the British community stay behind to look after their Asian charges despite the chaos. On the 5th of January 1941 The Straits Times published a lead article stating vague lines provided a flimsy basis for detailed comment. On the 20th of February 1942 five days after the Fall of Singapore the paper was renamed by Japan as The Shonan Times. The first issue published a declaration by Tomoyuki Yamashita announcing the aim to establish the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Seabridge and his wife fled Singapore on the 11th of February 1942 going to Batavia where he filed a secret report for the War Cabinet in London. During this period the paper was thoroughly pro-Japanese and reported on Japan's war efforts in the Pacific. In June 1942 the Military Propaganda Squad launched Nippon-Go Popularising Week using the Syonan Shimbun to promote the Japanese language. A document dated the 17th of May 1942 outlined objectives including publishing a weekly children's katakana newspaper named Sakura. The children's newspaper was included as a free supplement in the 10th of June 1942 edition though later sold separately for one sen. The paper finally became the Syonan Shimbun on the 8th of December 1943 before reverting to The Straits Times on the 5th of September 1945.

• 4. Post-Independence Political Alignment

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  After Singapore gained independence in 1965 the newspaper has been referred to as Singapore's newspaper of record. Despite its history as being largely anti-PAP when Singapore was a colony it became largely pro-PAP after independence. Editors were warned by British colonial officials that any reportage threatening the merger between Singapore and the Malayan Federation could result in subversion charges. Following criticism from Lee Kuan Yew after the 1979 by-elections and the 1980 general election The Straits Times agreed to accept S.R. Nathan as executive chairman. Subsequently the government restructured the entire newspaper industry bringing all English Chinese and Malay papers under Singapore Press Holdings established on the 30th of November 1984. In 1956 The Straits Times established a Malayan edition called New Straits Times based in Kuala Lumpur which is now unaffiliated following separation of the two countries. During the early days of self-governance the paper had an uneasy relationship with leaders of the People's Action Party who desired self-governance for Singapore. The news website launched on the 1st of January 1994 making it one of the first newspapers in the world to do so. The website remained entirely free until 2005 when paid subscription became required to fully access news and commentary.

• 5. Government Interference Mechanisms

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  Former editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng alleged how the newspaper has a government-appointed monitor at the newspaper who watches to see if indeed the newsroom was beyond control. Disapproval of the monitor could cost a reporter or editor from being internally promoted. Editors were bound by out of bounds markers to denote what topics are permissible for public discussion such as anything that may produce ill-will between different races. Chua Chin Hon then ST's bureau chief for the United States stated in a 2009 US diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks that editors have all been groomed as pro-government supporters. Past chairpersons of Singapore Press Holdings have been civil or public servants including Lee Boon Yang a former PAP cabinet minister. Many current ST management and senior editors have close links to the government as well. SPH CEO Alan Chan was a former top civil servant and Principal Private Secretary to then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Current editor-in-chief Warren Fernandez was considered as a PAP candidate for the 2006 elections. As of July 2025 parent company continues to exert editorial control and also expanded collaborations with Chinese state media such as Xinhua News Agency.

• 6. Digital Transition And Circulation Scandal

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  Following a 2023 leak published on socio-political website Wake Up Singapore the Straits Times revealed that SPH Media inflated its circulation figures in 2022. The numbers were inflated by 85, 95,000 copies daily across all publications representing 10-12% of the reported daily average circulation. Inflation methods included including copies that were printed and counted but destroyed fictitious counts and double-counting subscriptions. A 2020 Reuters Institute independent survey of 15 media outlets found that 73% of Singaporean respondents trusted reporting from The Straits Times. This rating placed it second highest next to Channel NewsAsia a local TV news channel. The Wikipedia community has included The Straits Times under its no consensus unclear or additional considerations apply source category. Given known practices of self-censorship and political meddling into coverage news related to Singapore politics should be taken with a grain of salt. In July 2007 the National Library Board signed an agreement with Singapore Press Holdings to digitise archives going back to founding in 1845.