The Straits Times
The Straits Times is Singapore’s oldest English-language daily, founded in 1845 as The Straits Times and Singapore Journal of Commerce. Long part of Singapore Press Holdings, it has been published since December 2021 by the not-for-profit SPH Media TrustSPH Media TrustSPH Media Trust (SPH Media) is a Singapore not-for-profit company limited by guarantee that took over Singapore Press Holdings’ media business in December 2021 and publishes titles including The Straits Times, The Business Times and Lianhe Zaobao. The government has funded it against key performance indicators since 2022, and in 2023 it disclosed that earlier circulation figures had been inflated.Open the full entry.
Contents17 sections
Key facts
July 15, 1845Founding
On July 15, 1845, Armenian merchant Catchick Moses and his uncle Aristarchus Sarkies founded the paper in Singapore; Moses hired Robert Carr Woods, an English journalist from Bombay, as editor.[1]
The press equipment had belonged to the late Armenian merchant Marterus Thaddeus Apcar. The paper began as a Tuesday weekly and within four months appeared twice a week.[2]
1858–1869Becomes a Daily
The paper became a daily in 1858. A fire destroyed its facilities in 1869, but the paper did not miss an issue.[3]
1900sAlexander William Still as Editor
Under Alexander William Still, editor in the early 1900s, the paper promoted local causes.[3]
1942–1945Suspended During the Japanese Occupation
During the Japanese Occupation the paper was forcibly halted from 1942 to 1945, and its premises were taken over by the Syonan Times. After the war it moved from a pro-British business focus toward local issues and became Singapore’s most widely circulated newspaper.[1]
1956Malaysian Edition in Kuala Lumpur
In 1956 it established a Malaysian edition, The New Straits Times, in Kuala Lumpur.[3]
1974Newspaper and Printing Presses Act
The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act of 1974 set up tight regulatory oversight of Singapore’s media, and newspaper companies have a special class of management shares retained by a few select entities.[4]
August 4, 1984Merged into Singapore Press Holdings
On August 4, 1984, Straits Times Press Limited merged with Singapore News and Publications Limited and Times Publishing Berhad to form the newly incorporated Singapore Press Holdings Limited.[2]
December 2021Transferred to SPH Media Trust
In December 2021 Singapore Press Holdings moved its media interests into SPH Media Trust, which became the paper’s parent company.[5]
June 2022Most Popular Traditional News Brand
A Singapore survey published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in June 2022 found the paper remained the most popular traditional news brand, used weekly by 37% of respondents.[6]
January 9, 2023Discloses Inflated Circulation
On January 9, 2023, the paper disclosed the findings of an SPH Media internal review: between September 2020 and March 2022 circulation had been arbitrarily inflated by up to 95,000 copies, about 10% to 12% of average daily circulation, and some copies were printed, counted and then destroyed.[7]
June 2023Website Reach and Trust
A Singapore survey published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in June 2023 found that 42% of respondents used the paper’s website weekly, behind Mothership (48%) and Channel NewsAsia (46%); its brand trust score was 73%, up 3 points from 2022.[5]
June 2024Weekly Reach and Trust
In the same survey published in June 2024, the paper was used weekly by 36% of respondents and had a brand trust score of 73%, just behind Channel NewsAsia at 74%.[8]
2025180th Anniversary and Digital Revamp
For the 180th anniversary in 2025, SPH Media Trust revamped the paper’s website and app, adding an AI-powered newsfeed and article summaries.[9]
June 202575% Brand Trust
The survey published in June 2025 described the paper as Singapore’s newspaper of record, operated by the state-supported non-profit SPH Media Trust; its brand trust score was 75%, among the most trusted news sources alongside Channel NewsAsia (74%).[10]
June 202677% Trust
In the survey published in June 2026, the paper’s website was used weekly by 44% of respondents, and its brand trust score was 77%, second only to CNA at 78%.[9]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
The Straits Times: Official website: https://www.straitstimes.com/ (opens in a new window)[9]
Sources
- The Straits Times (opens in a new window)
- What You Didn’t Know About the Straits Times (opens in a new window)
- The Straits Times (opens in a new window)
- Why Singapore Press Holdings is Restructuring (opens in a new window)
- Singapore (opens in a new window)
- Singapore (opens in a new window)
- The Straits Times caught in a readership lie (opens in a new window)
- Singapore (opens in a new window)
- Singapore (opens in a new window)
- Singapore (opens in a new window)