The Straits Times
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Categories: English-language newspapers | Singapore Press Holdings | Newspapers published in Singapore | Publications established in 1845
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Not to be confused with New Straits Times, the Malaysian newspaper.
The Straits Times (Chinese: 海峡时报) is an English-language broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore, currently owned by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). It is the country's highest-selling paper in any language, with a daily circulation of around 400,000. The Straits Times, the oldest newspaper of any kind in Singapore, was established on July 15, 1845, during British colonial rule. After Singapore left Malaysia in 1965, the paper became more focused on the island, leading to the creation of the New Straits Times in Kuala Lumpur. Currently, the paper is perhaps the chief general news source for the country's English-language residents. The Singapore Press Holdings publishes two other English-language dailies - the broadsheet Business Times and The New Paper, an afternoon tabloid. Today is a free tabloid published by Mediacorp Press targeting working adults. It is a member of the Asia News Network.
CoverageThe Straits Times functions with 16 bureaus and special correspondents in major cities worldwide. The paper itself is published in three sections: the main section focuses on Asian and international news, with sub-sections of columns and editorials. The "Home" section focuses on local news, together with the Forum (letters to the press), sports and finance pages. A separate lifestyle, entertainment and the arts section is titled Life!. Currently, the newspaper publishes three weekly pull-outs ("Digital Life," "Mind Your Body," and "Urban," on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively). All three pull-outs are printed in tabloid format. 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 InteractiveLaunched in 1995, the Straits Times Interactive was free of charge and granted access to all the sections and articles found in the print edition. On the 15 March 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 podcasts, vodcasts and twice-daily (mid-day and evening updates) radio news bulletins are also available for free online. The Straits Times' decision to make its online edition almost entirely subscription-funded is in contrast to other traditional newspapers' online editions, which often only charge for certain sections (such as archives) or for digital editions. However, the latest AC Nielsen Net Ratings figures show that The Straits Times Interactive has attracted about five million page views a month since May 2006, making it the top online daily in the country which is read by more than 4% of the adult population monthly - largely professionals and executives. Community programmesThe Straits Times School Pocket Money FundThe Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund is a community fund set up by The Straits Times to ensure that less well-off pupils are adequately well-fed in schools. They are given either S$30 (for Primary School students) or S$50 (for Secondary School students) every month, to ensure that they have enough pocket money for their recess (breaks during school hours). The Straits Times Media ClubThe 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 CompetitionThe Straits Times School of Rock Competition was incepted in 2005. Budding young bands with members aged between 13-18 compete to be the ultimate Youth Band in Singapore. The finals of the competition was held at a local shopping mall in small town, Bishan: Junction 8 on the 31st July 2005. The band 3dash1 won against the 206 bands that signed up for the competition. 3dash1 comprises the following members: Muhammad Ashik, 18, from Singapore Polytechnic, bassist Andhika, 17, from Nanyang Polytechnic and drummer Mohammed Nashir, 19, from ITE Simei. The band received prize money of S$5,000 (US$3,008), and was offered a management contract from artiste management company, Music & Movement. The Straits Times National Schools Newspaper CompetitionThe 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 participated in the finals, a 24-hour challenge held at the SPH News Centre on 12-13 December 2005. The aim was to produce a 4 page, A3 sized newsletter within that time. Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) beat 9 other schools to emerge as the "Gold" (1st) prize winner, taking home S$5,000 cash and a trophy. The team consisted of Timothy Fang, 15, Whang Yihang, 15, Michael Davies, 15, Mervyn Lau, 14, and Ian Yap, 14. Raffles Institution and CHIJ (St. Nicholas) came in "Silver" (2nd) and "Bronze" (3rd) winners respectively. In 2006, the second year of the competition, Victoria School defeated the other 9 schools emerging as champions ("Gold" prize winner) taking home S$3000 cash and a Thinkpad x41 tablet PC. CHIJ (St. Nicholas) and Raffles Institution came in "Silver" (2nd) and "Bronze" (3rd) winners respectively. CriticismThe 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. Hence, past chairpersons of Singapore Press Holdings have all been civil servants. In particular, SPH's current executive president Tjong Yik Min served as the head of the Internal Security Department from 1986 to 1993, and prominent political columnist Chua Lee Hoong and as well as editors Irene Ho and Susan Sim are all former ISD employees. [1] Cherian George, a journalist and art editor of the paper, has given an insightful description of press workings in Singapore. He stated in a convention conference in 1998 at the University of California, Berkeley:[2]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has ranked Singapore 147th out of 166 countries in its second annual World Press Freedom Ranking in 2004. In 2005 Singapore's rating changed when it was ranked 140th by the same organization. The rating reversed in 2006, when it was ranked 146th out of 168 countries, close to its 2004 ranking by RSF. Lee Boon Yang, the Singapore Minister of Communication, Information and the Arts publicly protested against the basis on which Singapore was given the ranking. Instead, he asserted that the local press was running on a "different media model" from many of the countries gauged in the RSF rankings that has "evolved out of our (Singapore's) special circumstances" and was being "non-adversarial" towards the government. [1] George Yeo, when he held the same portfolio as Lee, also stressed that the media was not to be a "fourth estate" in ruling the country (presumably because the media lacks the mandate from the electors); instead, the role of the press was to aid "nation building", in view of Singapore's heterogeneous society and peculiar vulnerabilities as a small nation. Owing to political sensitivities, the Straits Times is not sold in neighbouring Malaysia, and the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times is not sold in Singapore. At one point, during an international dispute over the sale of water, the newspaper was banned in Malaysia. Editors and notable personalities
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