One of Singapore’s propaganda state media papers, The New Paper, infamous for spreading falsehoods is shutting down due to poor circulation. The New Paper will merge with My Paper and will be free for circulation, according to a Bloomberg report. The newly-merged paper will focus on business news instead.
According to an anonymous SPH staff interviewed by Yahoo Singapore, about 20 out of around 90 SPH staffs under The New Paper would be laid off and that the mood at SPH is “somber with many worried about their future”.
Propaganda state media Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) will also see retrenchments by cutting 5% to 10% of its workforce. Each year, SPH sees poorer circulation and falling subscription, and the company blames the rise of independent and free media for their worsening balance sheet. SPH is heavily influenced by the Singapore government and is ranked 154th in media independence. Last month, the government publisher was also criticised by the Prime Minister’s sister, Lee Wei Ling, of being political tools of the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his powerful Temasek Holdings CEO wife Ho Ching.
Although it prides itself as a tabloid, The New Paper is notorious for publishing defamatory commentaries and fictitious reports against government critics. In Feb this year, the paper was forced to put up an apology after TRS news writer Yang Kai Heng sued it for defamation. Here are some capture of the mischievous posts by The New Paper over the years:
The news of the collapse of The New Paper is however celebrated by the Singaporean internet community who generally condemn the tabloid paper for publishing fake news.