World

Sing Tao Daily Newspaper says it is ‘independent’

The newspaper responds to a story that appeared in the July 19 issue of Maclean’s

I am the president of Sing Tao Daily Ltd., publisher of Sing Tao Daily Newspaper, Canada’s largest Chinese-language daily newspaper. I am writing on behalf of the newspaper and its team of reporters, editors and staff. We were all greatly disappointed and offended by the article published in the July 19 edition of Maclean’s headlined “A question of influence” (International), stating that “As Beijing ramps up attempts to use Chinese-Canadian media to promote its own propaganda, new questions arise about just how free the press really is.” Sing Tao Daily Newspaper is an independent newspaper guided by highest standards of responsible journalism. Editorial decisions relating to the newspaper are made by its team of editors in Canada through the exercise of independent editorial judgment and without regard as to whether these decisions please the Chinese Communist party or anyone else. Your article states that our newspaper is “half-owned by the Toronto Star.” In fact, the majority shareholder of Sing Tao Daily Newspaper is the Torstar Corporation, a Canadian public company and news organization that also operates pursuant to the highest standards of responsible journalism.

Sing Tao Daily Newspaper has earned a large, loyal and ever-growing following over its 30 years of serving the Chinese community in Canada. Our readers trust us to consistently provide a fair, accurate and independent report on news and matters of interest to Chinese-Canadians. We assure our readers that allegations made against our paper and its team in the article are untrue, and that we will continue to provide them with a newspaper built around journalistic excellence for years to come.

Louis Cheng, President, Sing Tao Daily Ltd., Toronto

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