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New Straits Times

Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Tabloid
Owner	Media Prima
Publisher	New Straits Times Press
Editor	Hishamuddin Aun
Founded	July 15, 1845 (as The Straits Time 1965 (as the New Straits Times)
Political alignment	Right wing, pro-government
Language	English
Headquarters	Balai Berita 31, Jalan Riong, 59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia.
Circulation	200,000
Official website	nst.com.my

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).

The New Straits Times is printed by the New Straits Times Press, which also produced the English language afternoon newspaper, The Malay Mail until 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 which is owned by the dominant political party, UMNO. This ownership has led the newspaper and its sister publications and TV channels to operate as mouth pieces for the government, ignoring tales of vast corruption, with the cosequence that young Malaysians ignore or do not trust the mainstream media.

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

[edit] Origins

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.

[edit] Incorporated sections

[edit] Tech&U

Tech&U, was first published on January 2, 1986 as Computimes, an information and communication technology (ICT) section of the New Straits Times, every Monday and Thursday.

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

On March 20, 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.

[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 October 6, 1999.

[edit] Business Times

The paper has for some years incorporated the Business Times, expanding its business section and increasing its appeal among businessmen.

[edit] Property Times

First published in May 1995, the Property Times is a pull-out section in the New Straits Times, every Saturday. It focuses on introducing the property market and home decoration tips.

[edit] Political control and controversy

The New Straits Times has been accused of serving as a propaganda tool for the Malaysia government and its proxy owner, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which is a right-wing Malay political party.^{[citation needed]}

Owing to political sensitivities, newspapers from one country cannot be sold in the other, hence the The Straits Times is not sold in Malaysia, and the New Straits Times is not sold in Singapore.^{[citation needed]} This also complements a rule that neither country's newspapers can't be imported into the other country.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Comics

The comic Scenes of Malaysian Life has been published in the New Straits Times.^[2]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Official New Straits Times website