Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Sunday Examiner
The Sunday Examiner is a newspaper owned by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. The newspaper is published weekly and is available every Sunday at the Catholic churches in Hong Kong. The medium of the newspaper is the English language, whereas ''Kung Kao Po'', another publication produced by the Diocese, is published in .
The Star (Hong Kong)
The Star was Hong Kong's first tabloid newspaper, founded in 1965 and closed down in 1984. It was founded by Graham Jenkins, an journalist, who was the newspaper's editor until 1979. After the , Graham decided to add a Chinese language edition. The newspaper was printed and published by Consolidated Newspapers Ltd. When the newspaper was closed, 120 employees lost their job virtually overnight. The news came as a shock because the newspaper had increased its readership in the years before the closing.
Reporters include: Alfred Lee , San , Kenneth Ko, Christine Chow, Christina Xu .
Photographers include: Norman Lam, Norman Lau, Thomas Chan.
Reporters include: Alfred Lee , San , Kenneth Ko, Christine Chow, Christina Xu .
Photographers include: Norman Lam, Norman Lau, Thomas Chan.
The Standard
The Standard is an free newspaper of Hong Kong. It was called the Hong Kong Standard and changed to HKiMail during the Internet boom, but it changed back to The Standard in 2001.
From 10 September 2007, The Standard, which was originally sold at HK$6 each, became a free newspaper. It is now Hong Kong's first and only free English newspaper, which has seen the editorial direction shift towards a more controversial "tabloid" style of coverage, whilst also shifting to a more pro Government, pro-cartel, nationalistic position.
The South China Morning Post and the International Herald Tribune are its main local competitors.
''The Standard'' is printed in tabloid-format rather than in broadsheet, unlike other English-language newspapers in Hong Kong. It is published daily from Monday to Saturday.
''Weekend Standard'' was published during weekends before The Standard became a free newspaper. The issue, which covers both Saturdays and Sundays, comes out on Saturday. Certain sections, namely the ''Market'', ''Entertainment'', ''Focus'' and ''Opinion'' sections, are not published in ''Weekend Standard''.
''The Standard'' is published by Sing Tao Newspaper Limited, which is also the publisher of ''Sing Tao Daily'' and ''Headline Daily''. This enterprise is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation Limited, a firm owning other businesses including media publications, human capital management and Broadband service. The Global China Group Holdings acquired 51% of Sing Tao Holdings Ltd. in January 2001 and changed its name in 2005. The Chairman of Sing Tao News Corporation Limited is Ho Tsu Kwok, Charles .
''The Standard'' was originally named the ''Hong Kong Tiger Standard''. The newspaper was founded by Tycoon Aw Boon Haw after the end of the Chinese Civil War. On the backs of financially successful Sing Tao Daily and Tiger Balm, he attacked the English-language newspaper market by launching the paper on 1 March 1949 to give a Chinese voice to the world, and to advance the interests of Chinese in all their endeavours and defend them against all kinds inequalities, challenging the pro-colonial establishment press. It started life as a broadsheet, largely be edited and run by Chinese, but without the exclusion of other nationals.
In August 1996, the in Hong Kong found out that 14,000 copies of the paper had been discarded in Wan Chai pier and therefore started an investigation. The ICAC discovered that from 1994 to 1997, the circulation figures of the ''Hong Kong Sunday Standard'' and the ''Hong Kong Standard'' had been routinely and substantially exaggerated, in order to attract advertisers and to raise the revenue of the newspapers. Circulation figures had always been somewhat obscure, due to the Sing Tao group's longstanding agreements with Hotels and clubs where the newspaper was distributed free.
As a result, the ICAC arrested three staff members of the ''Hong Kong Standard'' and charged Aw Sian as co-conspirator. This case was examined and deliberated from 23 November 1998 to 20 January 1999. Finally, the three staff members were found guilty, and sentenced to jail for 4 to 6 months. Aw Sian was not prosecuted. The decision generated a large controversy among the public, and raised the question of legal discrimination and injustice environment in arbitration.
Nevertheless, the Secretary of Justice, Ms Elsie Leung justified her decided not to prosecute Aw Sian on the basis of insufficient evidence and public interest.
*The cover price of ''The Standard'' was HK$6, but it is now free.
*Its former slogan was ''TELLS IT LIKE IT IS''.
*The reformated freesheet version of the ''The Standard'' carries the slogan "First Past the Post".
From 10 September 2007, The Standard, which was originally sold at HK$6 each, became a free newspaper. It is now Hong Kong's first and only free English newspaper, which has seen the editorial direction shift towards a more controversial "tabloid" style of coverage, whilst also shifting to a more pro Government, pro-cartel, nationalistic position.
The South China Morning Post and the International Herald Tribune are its main local competitors.
Format
''The Standard'' is printed in tabloid-format rather than in broadsheet, unlike other English-language newspapers in Hong Kong. It is published daily from Monday to Saturday.
''Weekend Standard'' was published during weekends before The Standard became a free newspaper. The issue, which covers both Saturdays and Sundays, comes out on Saturday. Certain sections, namely the ''Market'', ''Entertainment'', ''Focus'' and ''Opinion'' sections, are not published in ''Weekend Standard''.
Ownership
''The Standard'' is published by Sing Tao Newspaper Limited, which is also the publisher of ''Sing Tao Daily'' and ''Headline Daily''. This enterprise is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation Limited, a firm owning other businesses including media publications, human capital management and Broadband service. The Global China Group Holdings acquired 51% of Sing Tao Holdings Ltd. in January 2001 and changed its name in 2005. The Chairman of Sing Tao News Corporation Limited is Ho Tsu Kwok, Charles .
History
''The Standard'' was originally named the ''Hong Kong Tiger Standard''. The newspaper was founded by Tycoon Aw Boon Haw after the end of the Chinese Civil War. On the backs of financially successful Sing Tao Daily and Tiger Balm, he attacked the English-language newspaper market by launching the paper on 1 March 1949 to give a Chinese voice to the world, and to advance the interests of Chinese in all their endeavours and defend them against all kinds inequalities, challenging the pro-colonial establishment press. It started life as a broadsheet, largely be edited and run by Chinese, but without the exclusion of other nationals.
Circulation fraud
In August 1996, the in Hong Kong found out that 14,000 copies of the paper had been discarded in Wan Chai pier and therefore started an investigation. The ICAC discovered that from 1994 to 1997, the circulation figures of the ''Hong Kong Sunday Standard'' and the ''Hong Kong Standard'' had been routinely and substantially exaggerated, in order to attract advertisers and to raise the revenue of the newspapers. Circulation figures had always been somewhat obscure, due to the Sing Tao group's longstanding agreements with Hotels and clubs where the newspaper was distributed free.
As a result, the ICAC arrested three staff members of the ''Hong Kong Standard'' and charged Aw Sian as co-conspirator. This case was examined and deliberated from 23 November 1998 to 20 January 1999. Finally, the three staff members were found guilty, and sentenced to jail for 4 to 6 months. Aw Sian was not prosecuted. The decision generated a large controversy among the public, and raised the question of legal discrimination and injustice environment in arbitration.
Nevertheless, the Secretary of Justice, Ms Elsie Leung justified her decided not to prosecute Aw Sian on the basis of insufficient evidence and public interest.
Other information
*The cover price of ''The Standard'' was HK$6, but it is now free.
*Its former slogan was ''TELLS IT LIKE IT IS''.
*The reformated freesheet version of the ''The Standard'' carries the slogan "First Past the Post".
The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times is a privately owned, general-interest newspaper, originally published in . Its stated focus is coverage of China and human rights issues. Its editorial stance has been described as critical of the Chinese Communist Party and sympathetic to dissidents. The CCP blocks mainlanders from accessing the ''Epoch Times'''s website.
According to the newspaper itself, ''The Epoch Times'' was founded in New York in May 2000, following the arrest of a small circle of journalists in in 2000. On August 12, 2002, ''The Epoch Times'' launched its first daily in Washington, D.C..
In 2006, Eugenia Chien wrote in the journal ''New Media America'', that "''The Epoch Times'' now distributes in over 30 countries worldwide, with a weekly circulation of 1.5 million. Its circulation, like many ethnic newspapers, is not audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation. The newspaper's English edition launched in New York in 2004 and rapidly grew. In New York alone, the newspaper has a 150,000 weekly distribution, in addition to 40,000 home deliveries, according to the newspaper." The term Dafa disciple refers to practitioners of Falun Dafa; "validating the Fa" refers to resisting the persecution of Falun Gong in mainland China, at the same time .
According to Li, ''The Epoch Times'' is one of “three major media groups”—Sound of Hope and New Tang Dynasty TV are the other two—which most concern the Chinese Communist Party, because ''The Epoch Times'' has become “the platform and facilitator for the Nine Commentaries.” In 2005 Li said "if you want to do better, you need to cooperate and coordinate well, carry out each task responsibly and attentively, and through your collective effort make that media outlet stand out. If all of you do well, the media outlet is bound to do well, and it will have a greater effect."
Blocked from being accessed electronically or distributed in China, the Chinese version of ''The Epoch Times'' is mainly being distributed in overseas Chinese communities for free. It claims to have a weekly distribution of over one million copies in 30 countries worldwide. The paper has associated media services, including the television station New Tang Dynasty TV, the radio station Sound of Hope, which together with ''The Epoch Times'' form the Epoch media group. ''Minghui'' and ''Reminbao'' are two other news sources used by few if any other media, and that help contribute stories from a Falun Gong perspective.
As of April 2006, ''The Epoch Times'' was available in ten languages for its print editions and in 17 languages on the Internet. In August 2004, an English language edition of ''The Epoch Times'' was launched in Manhattan. English editions are distributed in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States. and editions were launched in late 2004. There are two language editions in Japan: Chinese language edition and Japanese language edition , office is located in , Tokyo.
More recently , , , , and editions have started up in print.
Also in 2006, Epoch Times reporter Wang Wenyi made international headlines by yelling protests at and during a White House lawn press briefing concerning the crackdown of Falun Gong. The Epoch Times later apologized, and Wang Wenyi asserted that she undertook the action on her own. On 5 July 2006, Dr. Wang attended a media conference at the National Press Club with two recently released Falun Gong prisoners by her side to accuse China of secret organ harvesting. "The civilized world must shout to China," said Wang."
In May 2005, ''Die Neue Epoche'' received a special media prize from the International Society for Human Rights for "extensive and regular reporting about violations of ." In August 2005, the English version of the paper was awarded the top award by the Asian American Journalists Association for the category "Asian American Issues - Online." In September 2005, the Chinese version of the paper was recognized during the National Ethnomedia Week 2005 in Canada as a "strong defender of human rights and free democratic values."
''The Epoch Times'' originally targeted Chinese readers living abroad and reported on various alleged persecutions and abuses by, as well as the inner workings of, the CCP . The paper's reports on China are highly critical of the Chinese government, and its tone and commentaries towards the Chinese Communist Party are largely negative. It often refers to China's government as "Communist China" in its reports, including non-political articles. It has since grown to report on civil rights issues worldwide, and now appeals to a somewhat wider audience. The English edition represents itself as a general-interest newspaper that, although it maintains a large amount of China-related content, offers twelve other sections, including travel, science, sports, and regional and international news.
The paper is unique in giving a large amount of attention to Falun Gong's campaigns, particularly their attempt to sue former Chinese President Jiang Zemin under civil legislation for genocide. However the case failed to attract major media attention outside of the newspaper, and later the paper's stance shifted from being anti-Jiang Zemin to anti-CCP. According to tax records, the chairman of the paper's board, Kangang Xu, is a top Falun Gong spokesperson. A US Congressional report lists the newspaper as a Falun Gong affiliated media source.
It was one of the first newspapers to carry in-depth coverage of SARS, well before the Chinese government publicly admitted that there was an epidemic that went on to cause some 350 deaths. The paper also counters what it considers to be CCP propaganda through its own opinion pieces. The paper is very vocal in supporting dissidents, Falun Gong practitioners, pro-independence Taiwanese, American conservatives and all other traditional opponents of the CCP; their views are often expressed in the opinion page.
In November 2004, the Chinese version of ''The Epoch Times'' published and heavily promoted a series of editorials and a booklet entitled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" . The editorials purport to give an alternate exposé of the CCP through its history, from its ascent to power under Mao Zedong to its present-day form, as well as a condemnation of communism in all of its forms. In it the CCP was criticized as an illegitimate institution who employed underhanded tactics to gain power. Later in the series, however, the direction seems to shift between the CPC itself, its leaders, and allots an entire chapter on the "personal jealousy of Jiang Zemin" and his attacks on Falun Gong. The Nine Commentaries won the “Asian American Issues - Online” category at the 2005 Asian American Journalists Association convention held in August 2005. The "Commentaries" were subsequently rendered into other languages.
According to China's Sina News, while praised by some Chinese dissidents as having an adverse effect on the political control of the CCP, the contents of the commentaries are disputed by some critics who call it historical revisionism and Falun Gong propaganda. Because such text is banned in China, the paper has been reported to often send unsolicited copies, disguised as lottery winnings, sexually explicit material, and free game or music downloads via email or Internet pop-ups to spread their message inside mainland China.Inaccurate reference: the Sina News didn't mention the Epoch Times or the commentaries at all
In December 2005, the author of the "Nine Commentaries" was identified as Zheng Peichun, a Chinese dissident, who was arrested on the charge of crimes against the state and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The paper has published a follow-up to the ''Nine Commentaries'', entitled the ''The Real Story of Jiang Zemin'', which portrays former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who Falun Gong believes is , in a completely negative lights, calling him a "lowlife who betrayed his own nation", depicting Jiang as a power-hungry political opportunist who sold China to foreign powers and created domestic chaos.
''The Epoch Times'' claims that the publication of the "Commentaries" and its subsequent call to CCP members to "erase the beastly brand" has caused more than 35.4 million CCP members to resign as of April 2008. ''The Epoch Times'' obtains this number by tallying renunciation statements submitted to them via Internet, fax, email, or telephone. This methodology is not scientific and widely disputed, and may not reflect the actual number of CCP resignations within China since anyone regardless of Chinese citizenship or CCP membership could submit their name and be counted as a person who has claimed to have renounced their CCP membership. Submissions include anonymous and unverifiable online signatures, duplicate signatures, and public declarations for people inside mainland China unable to access the website due to . The count also includes any renunciations of past or current association with any CCP-affiliated organization. At their Chinese language renunciation website, it was stated that "the evils of the Communist Cult will be punished by God at Judgment Day", and called on members of the CCP to burn Communist memorabilia. These renunciations are not recognized as valid and official by the CCP, as they are not conducted through the proper channels via the party.
This campaign calling for the renouncements of CCP members is also called the three Renouncements since it also encourages members of the two major subordinating organizations of the CCP, the Communist Youth League and the Young Pioneers of China, to renounce their memberships.
Worth noticing that according to the Constitution of the Young Pioneers of China , only children between the age of 6 and 14 are eligible to be a member of the YP. Those who exceeds this age limit exits the YP automatically. Similar age restrictions applies to the Communist Youth League as well . However, many participants renounces their membership of the YP and CYL even though they exceeds the age limits of these organizations and are no longer members. For example, the founder of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi renounced his membership of CYL in 2005 at the age of 54 and was included in the tally.
Some says that the three renouncements has nothing to do with Falun Gong, but is just an independent campaign launched by ''Epoch Times''. However, Fei Liangyong, Chairman of the Democratic China Front and senior member of Chinese Free Culture Movement, explicitly mentioned that the three renouncements campaign was indeed initiated by Falun Gong in his speeches and his various interviews with Falun Gong related media such as ''Mingjian'' and ''Huiyuan''.
At their English language version of the renunciation website, the cumulative count of people who have allegedly quit the CCP appears as a sidebar to the Internet form which captures English language denunciations of the CCP. An official ''Epoch Times'' statement appearing at the bottom of the page appears to conflate denunciations done by non CCP members on this page with the renunciations done by CCP members on the Chinese language page: "All ''The Epoch Times'' Offices worldwide will provide assistance to anybody who wants to denounce/renounce the Communist Party .
During the summer of 2005, two diplomats, Chen Yonglin and Hao Fengjun, defected from the Chinese embassy in Canberra, Australia. The cases received international attention, and Chen Yonglin received some attention from ''The New York Times''. According to ''The Epoch Times'', their actions had been influenced by the Nine Commentaries. More recently, in a story beginning October 26th, 2006, Jia Jia, Secretary General of the Shanxi Provincial Expert Association of Science and Technology, has made ''Epoch Times'' headlines due to his supposed renunciation of the Communist Party of China.
According to ''Epoch Times'' interviews, his actions were directly influenced by the Nine Commentaries, and Jia asserts considerable discussion of the Commentaries and government dissatisfaction within China. Deutsche Presse-Agentur and Voice of America are among other media that picked up the story, interviewing Mr. Jia themselves.
Orville Schell, dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, said "It's hard to vouch for their quality because it's difficult to corroborate, but it's not something to be dismissed as pure propaganda." Liu says the journal's credibility as media professionals has been damaged by the Wang Wenyi incident. James Bettinger, professor of Communications at Stanford University and the director of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships, said that their consistent writing about Falun Gong in the same perspective, without critical examination Falun Gong, contributes to people's perception that it is not credible.
Arthur Waldron, a leading China scholar and Lauder Professor of International Relations in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania says he finds ''The Epoch Times'' "particularly striking," and believes it is obvious that "its reports are drawn from a network of correspondents inside China, a network that the authorities have not been able to destroy." He recommends those who want to get a sense of what is really going on in China should "pay at least as much attention to ''The Epoch Times'' as they do to the ''People’s Daily.''"
The paper denies all accusations of bias, stating that "We are not funded by Falun Gong, we don't speak for Falun Gong, and we don't represent Falun Gong."
General
According to the newspaper itself, ''The Epoch Times'' was founded in New York in May 2000, following the arrest of a small circle of journalists in in 2000. On August 12, 2002, ''The Epoch Times'' launched its first daily in Washington, D.C..
In 2006, Eugenia Chien wrote in the journal ''New Media America'', that "''The Epoch Times'' now distributes in over 30 countries worldwide, with a weekly circulation of 1.5 million. Its circulation, like many ethnic newspapers, is not audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation. The newspaper's English edition launched in New York in 2004 and rapidly grew. In New York alone, the newspaper has a 150,000 weekly distribution, in addition to 40,000 home deliveries, according to the newspaper." The term Dafa disciple refers to practitioners of Falun Dafa; "validating the Fa" refers to resisting the persecution of Falun Gong in mainland China, at the same time .
According to Li, ''The Epoch Times'' is one of “three major media groups”—Sound of Hope and New Tang Dynasty TV are the other two—which most concern the Chinese Communist Party, because ''The Epoch Times'' has become “the platform and facilitator for the Nine Commentaries.” In 2005 Li said "if you want to do better, you need to cooperate and coordinate well, carry out each task responsibly and attentively, and through your collective effort make that media outlet stand out. If all of you do well, the media outlet is bound to do well, and it will have a greater effect."
Blocked from being accessed electronically or distributed in China, the Chinese version of ''The Epoch Times'' is mainly being distributed in overseas Chinese communities for free. It claims to have a weekly distribution of over one million copies in 30 countries worldwide. The paper has associated media services, including the television station New Tang Dynasty TV, the radio station Sound of Hope, which together with ''The Epoch Times'' form the Epoch media group. ''Minghui'' and ''Reminbao'' are two other news sources used by few if any other media, and that help contribute stories from a Falun Gong perspective.
As of April 2006, ''The Epoch Times'' was available in ten languages for its print editions and in 17 languages on the Internet. In August 2004, an English language edition of ''The Epoch Times'' was launched in Manhattan. English editions are distributed in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States. and editions were launched in late 2004. There are two language editions in Japan: Chinese language edition and Japanese language edition , office is located in , Tokyo.
More recently , , , , and editions have started up in print.
Also in 2006, Epoch Times reporter Wang Wenyi made international headlines by yelling protests at and during a White House lawn press briefing concerning the crackdown of Falun Gong. The Epoch Times later apologized, and Wang Wenyi asserted that she undertook the action on her own. On 5 July 2006, Dr. Wang attended a media conference at the National Press Club with two recently released Falun Gong prisoners by her side to accuse China of secret organ harvesting. "The civilized world must shout to China," said Wang."
Awards and Recognition
In May 2005, ''Die Neue Epoche'' received a special media prize from the International Society for Human Rights for "extensive and regular reporting about violations of ." In August 2005, the English version of the paper was awarded the top award by the Asian American Journalists Association for the category "Asian American Issues - Online." In September 2005, the Chinese version of the paper was recognized during the National Ethnomedia Week 2005 in Canada as a "strong defender of human rights and free democratic values."
Focus
''The Epoch Times'' originally targeted Chinese readers living abroad and reported on various alleged persecutions and abuses by, as well as the inner workings of, the CCP . The paper's reports on China are highly critical of the Chinese government, and its tone and commentaries towards the Chinese Communist Party are largely negative. It often refers to China's government as "Communist China" in its reports, including non-political articles. It has since grown to report on civil rights issues worldwide, and now appeals to a somewhat wider audience. The English edition represents itself as a general-interest newspaper that, although it maintains a large amount of China-related content, offers twelve other sections, including travel, science, sports, and regional and international news.
The paper is unique in giving a large amount of attention to Falun Gong's campaigns, particularly their attempt to sue former Chinese President Jiang Zemin under civil legislation for genocide. However the case failed to attract major media attention outside of the newspaper, and later the paper's stance shifted from being anti-Jiang Zemin to anti-CCP. According to tax records, the chairman of the paper's board, Kangang Xu, is a top Falun Gong spokesperson. A US Congressional report lists the newspaper as a Falun Gong affiliated media source.
It was one of the first newspapers to carry in-depth coverage of SARS, well before the Chinese government publicly admitted that there was an epidemic that went on to cause some 350 deaths. The paper also counters what it considers to be CCP propaganda through its own opinion pieces. The paper is very vocal in supporting dissidents, Falun Gong practitioners, pro-independence Taiwanese, American conservatives and all other traditional opponents of the CCP; their views are often expressed in the opinion page.
The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party
In November 2004, the Chinese version of ''The Epoch Times'' published and heavily promoted a series of editorials and a booklet entitled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" . The editorials purport to give an alternate exposé of the CCP through its history, from its ascent to power under Mao Zedong to its present-day form, as well as a condemnation of communism in all of its forms. In it the CCP was criticized as an illegitimate institution who employed underhanded tactics to gain power. Later in the series, however, the direction seems to shift between the CPC itself, its leaders, and allots an entire chapter on the "personal jealousy of Jiang Zemin" and his attacks on Falun Gong. The Nine Commentaries won the “Asian American Issues - Online” category at the 2005 Asian American Journalists Association convention held in August 2005. The "Commentaries" were subsequently rendered into other languages.
According to China's Sina News, while praised by some Chinese dissidents as having an adverse effect on the political control of the CCP, the contents of the commentaries are disputed by some critics who call it historical revisionism and Falun Gong propaganda. Because such text is banned in China, the paper has been reported to often send unsolicited copies, disguised as lottery winnings, sexually explicit material, and free game or music downloads via email or Internet pop-ups to spread their message inside mainland China.Inaccurate reference: the Sina News didn't mention the Epoch Times or the commentaries at all
In December 2005, the author of the "Nine Commentaries" was identified as Zheng Peichun, a Chinese dissident, who was arrested on the charge of crimes against the state and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The paper has published a follow-up to the ''Nine Commentaries'', entitled the ''The Real Story of Jiang Zemin'', which portrays former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who Falun Gong believes is , in a completely negative lights, calling him a "lowlife who betrayed his own nation", depicting Jiang as a power-hungry political opportunist who sold China to foreign powers and created domestic chaos.
CPC Renunciations and Controversy
''The Epoch Times'' claims that the publication of the "Commentaries" and its subsequent call to CCP members to "erase the beastly brand" has caused more than 35.4 million CCP members to resign as of April 2008. ''The Epoch Times'' obtains this number by tallying renunciation statements submitted to them via Internet, fax, email, or telephone. This methodology is not scientific and widely disputed, and may not reflect the actual number of CCP resignations within China since anyone regardless of Chinese citizenship or CCP membership could submit their name and be counted as a person who has claimed to have renounced their CCP membership. Submissions include anonymous and unverifiable online signatures, duplicate signatures, and public declarations for people inside mainland China unable to access the website due to . The count also includes any renunciations of past or current association with any CCP-affiliated organization. At their Chinese language renunciation website, it was stated that "the evils of the Communist Cult will be punished by God at Judgment Day", and called on members of the CCP to burn Communist memorabilia. These renunciations are not recognized as valid and official by the CCP, as they are not conducted through the proper channels via the party.
This campaign calling for the renouncements of CCP members is also called the three Renouncements since it also encourages members of the two major subordinating organizations of the CCP, the Communist Youth League and the Young Pioneers of China, to renounce their memberships.
Worth noticing that according to the Constitution of the Young Pioneers of China , only children between the age of 6 and 14 are eligible to be a member of the YP. Those who exceeds this age limit exits the YP automatically. Similar age restrictions applies to the Communist Youth League as well . However, many participants renounces their membership of the YP and CYL even though they exceeds the age limits of these organizations and are no longer members. For example, the founder of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi renounced his membership of CYL in 2005 at the age of 54 and was included in the tally.
Some says that the three renouncements has nothing to do with Falun Gong, but is just an independent campaign launched by ''Epoch Times''. However, Fei Liangyong, Chairman of the Democratic China Front and senior member of Chinese Free Culture Movement, explicitly mentioned that the three renouncements campaign was indeed initiated by Falun Gong in his speeches and his various interviews with Falun Gong related media such as ''Mingjian'' and ''Huiyuan''.
At their English language version of the renunciation website, the cumulative count of people who have allegedly quit the CCP appears as a sidebar to the Internet form which captures English language denunciations of the CCP. An official ''Epoch Times'' statement appearing at the bottom of the page appears to conflate denunciations done by non CCP members on this page with the renunciations done by CCP members on the Chinese language page: "All ''The Epoch Times'' Offices worldwide will provide assistance to anybody who wants to denounce/renounce the Communist Party .
During the summer of 2005, two diplomats, Chen Yonglin and Hao Fengjun, defected from the Chinese embassy in Canberra, Australia. The cases received international attention, and Chen Yonglin received some attention from ''The New York Times''. According to ''The Epoch Times'', their actions had been influenced by the Nine Commentaries. More recently, in a story beginning October 26th, 2006, Jia Jia, Secretary General of the Shanxi Provincial Expert Association of Science and Technology, has made ''Epoch Times'' headlines due to his supposed renunciation of the Communist Party of China.
According to ''Epoch Times'' interviews, his actions were directly influenced by the Nine Commentaries, and Jia asserts considerable discussion of the Commentaries and government dissatisfaction within China. Deutsche Presse-Agentur and Voice of America are among other media that picked up the story, interviewing Mr. Jia themselves.
Credibility
Orville Schell, dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, said "It's hard to vouch for their quality because it's difficult to corroborate, but it's not something to be dismissed as pure propaganda." Liu says the journal's credibility as media professionals has been damaged by the Wang Wenyi incident. James Bettinger, professor of Communications at Stanford University and the director of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships, said that their consistent writing about Falun Gong in the same perspective, without critical examination Falun Gong, contributes to people's perception that it is not credible.
Arthur Waldron, a leading China scholar and Lauder Professor of International Relations in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania says he finds ''The Epoch Times'' "particularly striking," and believes it is obvious that "its reports are drawn from a network of correspondents inside China, a network that the authorities have not been able to destroy." He recommends those who want to get a sense of what is really going on in China should "pay at least as much attention to ''The Epoch Times'' as they do to the ''People’s Daily.''"
The paper denies all accusations of bias, stating that "We are not funded by Falun Gong, we don't speak for Falun Gong, and we don't represent Falun Gong."
Ta Kung Pao
Ta Kung Pao is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. It is based in Hong Kong and has been funded by the government of the People's Republic of China since 1949. Widely regarded as the mouthpiece of Communist Party of China, it covers a range of , and topics.
In June 2002, ''Ta Kung Pao'' newspaper celebrated its 100th anniversary despite rumours that the PRC Government would cut funding for pro-communist newspapers after the 1997 of Hong Kong.
Ying Lianzhi founded the newspaper in Tientsin, China on 17 June, 1902 in order to, in Ying's own words, "help China become a modern and nation". In contrast to its present editorial style, the paper put forward the slogan ''4-No-ism" '' in its early years, pledging to say "No" to any parties, governments, commercial companies, and persons.
It stood up to the repression at the time, openly criticizing the and the leaders in China in the early 1900s, and promoted democratic reforms, pioneering the use of the . Readership fell after the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 and Wang Zhilong bought it in 1916. Still, the newspaper was out of print by 1925 due to the lack of readership. On 1 September 1926, however, Wu Dingchang , Hu Zhengzhi , and Zhang Jiluan re-established the newspaper in Tianjin. With "no party affiliation, no political endorsement, no self-promotion, no ignorance" as its motto, the newspaper's popularity quickly rose again because of its sharp political commentary, especially of the Japanese as the Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II began.
As the war waged on, the journalists fled to other cities, such as Shanghai, Hankou, Chongqing, Guilin and Hong Kong, to continue publishing, but local editions were abandoned as the Japanese captured more and more territory. After the war was won, Wong Wan San , the chief editor, re-established the Shanghai edition on November 1, 1945, in the original format and style of the old Shanghai edition. They had also planned to issue editions for other cities, including Guangzhou, but the Chinese Civil War forced this proposal to be shelved. However, in March 1948, the Hong Kong edition was re-issued. A major newspaper during the years, it continued to be influential after re-publication by Fei Yi Ming, the subsequent publisher in Hong Kongafter 1949, as one of few newspapers that survived foreign invasion and civil war.
The head office of ''Ta Kung Pao'' is located on Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island, with many offices in mainland China, such as in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Inner-Mongolia and Guangzhou.
The paper was the earliest Chinese-language newspaper to establish a website "TaKungPao.com" in 1995.
''Ta Kung Pao'' was regarded as a paper that published only positive news, to respect the PRC-HKSAR relationship. It has a favourable relationship with the Government, all Blue-Chips, and Pro- parties.
The exact circulation in Hong Kong is unknown, but it is among the three least popular newspapers with less than 10,000 copies being sold every day. Many people believe its quality is far below average, but in fact its readership is so small that very few, except a minority of old people, can actually tell how good or how bad it is.
In June 2002, ''Ta Kung Pao'' newspaper celebrated its 100th anniversary despite rumours that the PRC Government would cut funding for pro-communist newspapers after the 1997 of Hong Kong.
History
Ying Lianzhi founded the newspaper in Tientsin, China on 17 June, 1902 in order to, in Ying's own words, "help China become a modern and nation". In contrast to its present editorial style, the paper put forward the slogan ''4-No-ism" '' in its early years, pledging to say "No" to any parties, governments, commercial companies, and persons.
It stood up to the repression at the time, openly criticizing the and the leaders in China in the early 1900s, and promoted democratic reforms, pioneering the use of the . Readership fell after the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 and Wang Zhilong bought it in 1916. Still, the newspaper was out of print by 1925 due to the lack of readership. On 1 September 1926, however, Wu Dingchang , Hu Zhengzhi , and Zhang Jiluan re-established the newspaper in Tianjin. With "no party affiliation, no political endorsement, no self-promotion, no ignorance" as its motto, the newspaper's popularity quickly rose again because of its sharp political commentary, especially of the Japanese as the Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II began.
As the war waged on, the journalists fled to other cities, such as Shanghai, Hankou, Chongqing, Guilin and Hong Kong, to continue publishing, but local editions were abandoned as the Japanese captured more and more territory. After the war was won, Wong Wan San , the chief editor, re-established the Shanghai edition on November 1, 1945, in the original format and style of the old Shanghai edition. They had also planned to issue editions for other cities, including Guangzhou, but the Chinese Civil War forced this proposal to be shelved. However, in March 1948, the Hong Kong edition was re-issued. A major newspaper during the years, it continued to be influential after re-publication by Fei Yi Ming, the subsequent publisher in Hong Kongafter 1949, as one of few newspapers that survived foreign invasion and civil war.
The head office of ''Ta Kung Pao'' is located on Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island, with many offices in mainland China, such as in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Inner-Mongolia and Guangzhou.
The paper was the earliest Chinese-language newspaper to establish a website "TaKungPao.com" in 1995.
Present
''Ta Kung Pao'' was regarded as a paper that published only positive news, to respect the PRC-HKSAR relationship. It has a favourable relationship with the Government, all Blue-Chips, and Pro- parties.
The exact circulation in Hong Kong is unknown, but it is among the three least popular newspapers with less than 10,000 copies being sold every day. Many people believe its quality is far below average, but in fact its readership is so small that very few, except a minority of old people, can actually tell how good or how bad it is.
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post, together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an newspaper of Hong Kong, with a circulation of 104,000. Published by the SCMP Group, the South China Morning Post has a higher print circulation than its main competitors in Hong Kong, ''The Standard'' and the ''International Herald Tribune''.
The editor is CK Lau, who replaced the controversial Mark Clifford after he was ousted in April 2007.
South China Morning Post Ltd was founded in 1903. The first edition of the paper published on November 6, 1903. In November 1971, it was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It was privatised by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in 1987, and relisted in 1990.
Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok's Kerry Media bought the controlling interest from News Corp in October 1993. His son, Kuok Khoon Ean, took over as chairman at the end of 1997.
The paper has a circulation which has remained relatively constant at 104,000 copies since 2000, but is lower than a decade ago. The average audited circulation for the first half of 2007 stood at 106,054, while its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'' has a readership of 80,865. Its readership outside Hong Kong remains at some 6,825 copies for the same period, again, relatively unchanged. It also had the enviable position as the most profitable newspaper in the world on a "per reader" basis, profit declined since peaking in 1997 at HK$805 million, yet its growth potential is viewed as being largely dependent on its ability to penetrate the wider Chinese market.
The Group reported net profit of HK$338 million for the year 2006 , the operating profit of HK$419m was attributable mainly to the newspaper operation..
The selling price of the paper is HK$7 each from Monday to Saturday, and HK$8 for the ''Sunday Morning Post''. Discounted price is given for students' subscription.
The printed version of the Post is in a broadsheet format, in sections: Main, City, Sport, Business, Classifieds, Property , Racing , Technology , Education , Style magazine ; the Sunday edition contains Main, a Review section, a Post Magazine, Racing, and "Young Post", targeted at the younger readers.
On 26 March 2007, the post was given a facelift, with new presentation and fonts.
''Scmp.com'' is a subscription-only service, which also allows the retrieval of archive articles dating back from 1993. It was launched online in December 1996. On May 30, 2007, scmp.com relaunched with a new look, features, and multimedia content. Headlines and the introduction to stories are now free to view, while the full articles are available to subscribers. Archive photos and articles are available for purchase.
On July 16, 2007, scmp.com launched its first-ever viral video marketing campaign targeting a global audience and highlighting the new multimedia features of the website.
The Kuok family is known to be pro-, and questions have been raised over its editorial independence. There have been concerns, denied by Kuok, over the forced departures, in rapid succession, of several staff and contributors who were considered critical of China or its supporters in Hong Kong. These included, in the mid-1990s, their popular cartoonist Larry Feign, humor columnist Nury Vittachi, and numerous China desk staff, namely 2000-01 editorial pages editor Danny Gittings, Beijing correspondent Jasper Becker, and China pages editor Willy Lam, who departed after his reporting had been publicly criticised by Robert Kuok.
Cartoonist Feign was abruptly dismissed not long after Kuok's purchase of the newspaper, after running several cartoons about the alleged culling of human body parts from Chinese prisoners. His firing was defended as "cost cutting", but was widely viewed as political self-censorship during the jittery final years before Hong Kong's handover to the PRC.
Editorial page editor Gittings complained that in January 2001 he was ordered not to run extracts of the Tiananmen Papers, but was only allowed to after protesting "strenuously". The editor, however, believed that there had already been sufficient coverage.
At the launch of a joint report published by the Hong Kong Journalists Association and Article 19 in July 2001, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association said: "More and more newspapers self-censor themselves because they are controlled by either a businessman with close ties to Beijing, or part of a large enterprise, which has financial interests over the border."
Mark Clifford, appointed Editor-in-Chief in February 2006, also enjoyed a turbulent 14 months in the job. He was responsible for the high profile dismissal of a number of journalists over an internal prank.
The editor is CK Lau, who replaced the controversial Mark Clifford after he was ousted in April 2007.
History
Broadsheet
South China Morning Post Ltd was founded in 1903. The first edition of the paper published on November 6, 1903. In November 1971, it was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It was privatised by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in 1987, and relisted in 1990.
Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok's Kerry Media bought the controlling interest from News Corp in October 1993. His son, Kuok Khoon Ean, took over as chairman at the end of 1997.
Circulation and profitability
The paper has a circulation which has remained relatively constant at 104,000 copies since 2000, but is lower than a decade ago. The average audited circulation for the first half of 2007 stood at 106,054, while its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'' has a readership of 80,865. Its readership outside Hong Kong remains at some 6,825 copies for the same period, again, relatively unchanged. It also had the enviable position as the most profitable newspaper in the world on a "per reader" basis, profit declined since peaking in 1997 at HK$805 million, yet its growth potential is viewed as being largely dependent on its ability to penetrate the wider Chinese market.
The Group reported net profit of HK$338 million for the year 2006 , the operating profit of HK$419m was attributable mainly to the newspaper operation..
The selling price of the paper is HK$7 each from Monday to Saturday, and HK$8 for the ''Sunday Morning Post''. Discounted price is given for students' subscription.
Format
The printed version of the Post is in a broadsheet format, in sections: Main, City, Sport, Business, Classifieds, Property , Racing , Technology , Education , Style magazine ; the Sunday edition contains Main, a Review section, a Post Magazine, Racing, and "Young Post", targeted at the younger readers.
On 26 March 2007, the post was given a facelift, with new presentation and fonts.
Online version
''Scmp.com'' is a subscription-only service, which also allows the retrieval of archive articles dating back from 1993. It was launched online in December 1996. On May 30, 2007, scmp.com relaunched with a new look, features, and multimedia content. Headlines and the introduction to stories are now free to view, while the full articles are available to subscribers. Archive photos and articles are available for purchase.
On July 16, 2007, scmp.com launched its first-ever viral video marketing campaign targeting a global audience and highlighting the new multimedia features of the website.
Editorial
The Kuok family is known to be pro-, and questions have been raised over its editorial independence. There have been concerns, denied by Kuok, over the forced departures, in rapid succession, of several staff and contributors who were considered critical of China or its supporters in Hong Kong. These included, in the mid-1990s, their popular cartoonist Larry Feign, humor columnist Nury Vittachi, and numerous China desk staff, namely 2000-01 editorial pages editor Danny Gittings, Beijing correspondent Jasper Becker, and China pages editor Willy Lam, who departed after his reporting had been publicly criticised by Robert Kuok.
Cartoonist Feign was abruptly dismissed not long after Kuok's purchase of the newspaper, after running several cartoons about the alleged culling of human body parts from Chinese prisoners. His firing was defended as "cost cutting", but was widely viewed as political self-censorship during the jittery final years before Hong Kong's handover to the PRC.
Editorial page editor Gittings complained that in January 2001 he was ordered not to run extracts of the Tiananmen Papers, but was only allowed to after protesting "strenuously". The editor, however, believed that there had already been sufficient coverage.
At the launch of a joint report published by the Hong Kong Journalists Association and Article 19 in July 2001, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association said: "More and more newspapers self-censor themselves because they are controlled by either a businessman with close ties to Beijing, or part of a large enterprise, which has financial interests over the border."
Mark Clifford, appointed Editor-in-Chief in February 2006, also enjoyed a turbulent 14 months in the job. He was responsible for the high profile dismissal of a number of journalists over an internal prank.
Sing Tao Daily
The Sing Tao Daily is Hong Kong's second largest Chinese language newspaper. It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation Limited, of which Ho Tsu Kwok, Charles is the chairman. Its English language sister paper is ''The Standard''. The ''Sing Tao'' also maintains the news website .
There are also at least 16 overseas editions of the ''Sing Tao Daily'', which are published by 9 overseas bureaus and circulated in 100 cities around the world. The overseas editions help facilitate easy access to homeland news for Chinese language readers outside China.
The parent company of the ''Sing Tao Daily'', the Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited, was founded in 1938 and is based in Hong Kong. The ''Sing Tao Daily'' was first published in the same year. It has one of the longest publishing histories among the Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong.
After opening its first overseas office in San Francisco in 1975, the ''Sing Tao'' set up International News Centres in New York, , San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, London and Sydney. In all, the company now has twenty-two offices globally.
In 1998, members of the management team were found guilty of falsifying market data. The Hong Kong government's decision not to charge the chairwoman Wu Sin for reasons of "public benefit" turned into a scandal for the Hong Kong legal system and was quoted as a reason for the million's march on July 1, 2003. Shortly after, financial problems forced Wu Sin to sell out her stock in the Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited.
Sing Tao's Toronto edition is partially owned by Star Media Group, the publisher of the Toronto Star.
The ''Sing Tao Daily'' has chosen to refresh its image and editorial content by positioning itself as the newspaper of choice for the middle class, who demand a more high-brow content. Sing Tao Daily also targets students by offering them cheaper subscription editions.
The ''Sing Tao Daily'' overseas editions target Chinese immigrants in foreign countries such as the U.S., Canada and Australia.
The ''Sing Tao Daily''’s editorial product is created using daily Chinese language internet feeds from Hong Kong, together with national feeds from its news bureau in New York and from various regional editorial staff.
The information is transmitted electronically to the various production facilities where prepress departments compose the pages using the Chinese electronic publishing system FounderFit , which allows the Chinese language to be digitally typeset.
In August 2007 the San Francisco office stopped using all FounderFit applications for Newspaper production. Sing Tao San Francisco now uses page layout, ad production, tracking and classified pagination applications from SCS of Nazareth, Pa. Adobe InDesign and Quark are used for news pagination. Sing Tao Toronto, Vancouver and LA have also switched to the SCS production applications.
The Information Services Department is a combination of the former Sing Tao Daily Main Library, Sing Tao Daily Business Library, Hong Kong iMail/Hong Kong Standard Library and the Sing Tao EDP Team. The department aids the production process through the following:
* News research support, e.g. the maintenance of photograph and news archives, company and land searches, etc.
* Acquisition of news content/services for publication and reference
* Compilation of charts and tables for publication, including horse racing results, stock listings, financial indices, property transaction records, shipping schedules, and weather data
* Handling applications for copyright permission
The Sing Tao Electronic Photo System acts as a complement to the Information Services Department. It provides wire photos from six popular news media, pictures used for daily publication, photographs taken by their own staff and photo archives. The photos are classified for easy retrieval.
News files, photos and other resources can be accessed through a web-based library resource catalogue.
The ''Sing Tao'' has a pro-government history. Before the reunification of Hong Kong with China, it supported the ; and once Hong Kong turned into a special administrative region, it turned support to the Beijing government. This can easily be identified in the editorials, and it is also true for the overseas editions.
On 11 November 2001, the Quebec Supreme Court issued an injunction against the local edition of Sing Tao Daily for libel against the Falun Gong, which was outlawed in the People's Republic of China, a government that respects no religious freedom, as a "evil cult" and put under persecution.
The ''Sing Tao Daily'' has embarked upon many programmes to lift its brand positioning and stimulate its circulation and readership.
These have included the following:
* Editorial repositioning
* Opinion exchanges with readers
* A special edition with highlights of the ''Sing Tao Daily'''s core and enhanced content
* Special supplements, e.g. its series of supplements following the events of September 11, 2001, and pullouts
* Topical supplements, including ''Property Browser'' and ''Job Market''
* Support of campaigns such as
** the Angel Campaign
** the Inter-School Debating Competition
** the Leader of the Year Award
Some perceive the ''Sing Tao'' to be a traditional and conservative newspaper. It has recently launched a "daring and middle class" communication platform in an attempt to promote itself as being more contemporary.
* The ''Sing Tao Daily'' has the largest regional coverage among global Chinese communities and also has the second largest global coverage in the world, following the International Herald Tribune. Sing Tao pioneered satellite transmission and was the first newspaper available on opposite sides of the world on the same day.
* The Sing Tao Group is the only media group in Hong Kong that owns both Chinese and English language newspapers.
* The ''Sing Tao Daily'' was the first newspaper in Hong Kong to launch a website. On August 23, 1995, www.singtao.com was launched.
* The ''Sing Tao Daily'' was the first newspaper in Hong Kong to develop a parenting section, which helps parents with advice for their children's growth and development.
The news on the website of the ''Sing Tao Daily'' is generally the same as what can be found in the printed paper. Different versions of the website customized with local content can also be accessed by readers in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.
There are also at least 16 overseas editions of the ''Sing Tao Daily'', which are published by 9 overseas bureaus and circulated in 100 cities around the world. The overseas editions help facilitate easy access to homeland news for Chinese language readers outside China.
History
The parent company of the ''Sing Tao Daily'', the Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited, was founded in 1938 and is based in Hong Kong. The ''Sing Tao Daily'' was first published in the same year. It has one of the longest publishing histories among the Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong.
After opening its first overseas office in San Francisco in 1975, the ''Sing Tao'' set up International News Centres in New York, , San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, London and Sydney. In all, the company now has twenty-two offices globally.
In 1998, members of the management team were found guilty of falsifying market data. The Hong Kong government's decision not to charge the chairwoman Wu Sin for reasons of "public benefit" turned into a scandal for the Hong Kong legal system and was quoted as a reason for the million's march on July 1, 2003. Shortly after, financial problems forced Wu Sin to sell out her stock in the Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited.
Sing Tao's Toronto edition is partially owned by Star Media Group, the publisher of the Toronto Star.
Market
The ''Sing Tao Daily'' has chosen to refresh its image and editorial content by positioning itself as the newspaper of choice for the middle class, who demand a more high-brow content. Sing Tao Daily also targets students by offering them cheaper subscription editions.
The ''Sing Tao Daily'' overseas editions target Chinese immigrants in foreign countries such as the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Creation of editorial product
The ''Sing Tao Daily''’s editorial product is created using daily Chinese language internet feeds from Hong Kong, together with national feeds from its news bureau in New York and from various regional editorial staff.
The information is transmitted electronically to the various production facilities where prepress departments compose the pages using the Chinese electronic publishing system FounderFit , which allows the Chinese language to be digitally typeset.
In August 2007 the San Francisco office stopped using all FounderFit applications for Newspaper production. Sing Tao San Francisco now uses page layout, ad production, tracking and classified pagination applications from SCS of Nazareth, Pa. Adobe InDesign and Quark are used for news pagination. Sing Tao Toronto, Vancouver and LA have also switched to the SCS production applications.
The Information Services Department is a combination of the former Sing Tao Daily Main Library, Sing Tao Daily Business Library, Hong Kong iMail/Hong Kong Standard Library and the Sing Tao EDP Team. The department aids the production process through the following:
* News research support, e.g. the maintenance of photograph and news archives, company and land searches, etc.
* Acquisition of news content/services for publication and reference
* Compilation of charts and tables for publication, including horse racing results, stock listings, financial indices, property transaction records, shipping schedules, and weather data
* Handling applications for copyright permission
The Sing Tao Electronic Photo System acts as a complement to the Information Services Department. It provides wire photos from six popular news media, pictures used for daily publication, photographs taken by their own staff and photo archives. The photos are classified for easy retrieval.
News files, photos and other resources can be accessed through a web-based library resource catalogue.
Political stance
The ''Sing Tao'' has a pro-government history. Before the reunification of Hong Kong with China, it supported the ; and once Hong Kong turned into a special administrative region, it turned support to the Beijing government. This can easily be identified in the editorials, and it is also true for the overseas editions.
On 11 November 2001, the Quebec Supreme Court issued an injunction against the local edition of Sing Tao Daily for libel against the Falun Gong, which was outlawed in the People's Republic of China, a government that respects no religious freedom, as a "evil cult" and put under persecution.
Image promotion
The ''Sing Tao Daily'' has embarked upon many programmes to lift its brand positioning and stimulate its circulation and readership.
These have included the following:
* Editorial repositioning
* Opinion exchanges with readers
* A special edition with highlights of the ''Sing Tao Daily'''s core and enhanced content
* Special supplements, e.g. its series of supplements following the events of September 11, 2001, and pullouts
* Topical supplements, including ''Property Browser'' and ''Job Market''
* Support of campaigns such as
** the Angel Campaign
** the Inter-School Debating Competition
** the Leader of the Year Award
Some perceive the ''Sing Tao'' to be a traditional and conservative newspaper. It has recently launched a "daring and middle class" communication platform in an attempt to promote itself as being more contemporary.
Some firsts of the ''Sing Tao Daily''
* The ''Sing Tao Daily'' has the largest regional coverage among global Chinese communities and also has the second largest global coverage in the world, following the International Herald Tribune. Sing Tao pioneered satellite transmission and was the first newspaper available on opposite sides of the world on the same day.
* The Sing Tao Group is the only media group in Hong Kong that owns both Chinese and English language newspapers.
* The ''Sing Tao Daily'' was the first newspaper in Hong Kong to launch a website. On August 23, 1995, www.singtao.com was launched.
* The ''Sing Tao Daily'' was the first newspaper in Hong Kong to develop a parenting section, which helps parents with advice for their children's growth and development.
Website content
The news on the website of the ''Sing Tao Daily'' is generally the same as what can be found in the printed paper. Different versions of the website customized with local content can also be accessed by readers in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.
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