The South China Morning Post (SCMP), one of the most influential independent Hong Kong-based English-language newspapers in the region, has announced that it’s removing its online paywall from 6pm (local time) today, after ten years in place.
The move comes almost four months after Chinese tech titan Alibaba acquired the 113-year-old publication to “influence the West’s perception of China,” the company suggested at the time. “Our business is so rooted in China, and touches so many aspects of the Chinese economy, that when people don’t really understand China and have the wrong perception of China, they also have a lot of misconceptions about Alibaba,” said Joseph Tsai, executive vice chairman at Alibaba, at the time. “What’s good for China is also good for Alibaba.”
Though Alibaba has maintained that the SCMP will retain editorial independence, it’s difficult to see how that will be the case when the company has already said it is looking to change perceptions in the West because negative reports impact its shares — Alibaba, for the record, trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
It was an interesting acquisition by Alibaba to begin with, but it was indicative not only of newspapers’ struggles to monetize in the age of the Internet, but also the status of the SCMP as one of the few local titles not subject to China’s notorious state censorship that had a notable global reach. The acquisition was given formal approval from SCMP Group shareholders on March 14.
“With the paywall removal, it paves the way for the SCMP to grow its readership globally,” explained Tammy Tam, editor-in-chief of the SCMP. “It is our firm belief that as China plays an increasingly critical role in world politics and the economy, a global community of China stakeholders will demand insightful and trusted news and commentaries from a within-the-region perspective.”
Alongside the removal of the paywall today, the SCMP is also launching an upgraded mobile app with faster loading, search, and deep-link support meaning that links shared on social media can be opened directly within the app.