The Paper (Chinese: 澎湃新闻; lit. 'Surging News') is a Chinese digital newspaper owned and run by the state-owned Shanghai United Media Group.
History
The Paper was launched in July 2014 as an offshoot of the Shanghai United Media Group publication Oriental Morning Post. It received a large amount of initial funding, speculated to be anywhere from US$16 million to 64 million.[1] Of this, RMB 100 million (approximately $14,500,000) was provided by the government through the Cyberspace Administration of China.
The Paper was founded as an attempt to capture the readership of mobile internet users as revenue from mainstream physical papers across China saw major declines in the early 2010s.[2]: 599
In May 2016, The Paper launched Sixth Tone, an English-language sister publication.[3] On December 28, 2016, six completely state-owned or invested firms in Shanghai executed a strategic equity investment in Shanghai Oriental Newspaper Industry Company Limited, the operator of The Paper, amounting to a total capital increase of 610 million yuan.[4] Following the capital increase, Shanghai United Media Group's ownership stake in Oriental Newspaper Company decreased from 100% to 82.2%, however it retains ultimate control over the company.[5] Simultaneously, the Shanghai United Media Group resolved that as of January 1, 2017, the Oriental Morning Post discontinued publication, with all original news reporting and opinion guidance functions being transferred to The Paper.[6][7]
In February 2025, The Paper significantly reduced its workforce, consolidating 13 editing centers into six, and terminating 20 portions of its news service along with 15 social media profiles.[8][9]
Reporting
The Paper was originally given greater leeway in its reporting than other comparable organizations in China, where the government heavily censors and controls media. In allowing relative autonomy, the government aims to foster a media organization popular with younger online users that will still follow the political line of the Chinese Communist Party.[10][2]: 500–502
The Paper has focused on investigative reporting. The day of its founding, it published a piece on judicial misconduct in Anhui province, prompting the Anhui High People's Court to reopen an investigation into a case.[2]: 504 It has since become known for similar stories on societal scandals and corruption, including a series on Ling Jihua.[3][11]
Certain reports garnered the attention of leaders; for instance, in November 2017, Premier Li Keqiang addressed the The Paper news regarding "children with leukemia facing a shortage of affordable domestic medications, with imported drugs exceeding 1,000 yuan per bottle," issuing directives for relevant departments to "effectively enhance the production and supply of inexpensive domestic drugs to ensure availability."[12][13]
Evaluation
As of September 2024, the Media and Journalism Research Center evaluated the parent company of The Paper, the Shanghai United Media Group, to be "State Controlled Media" under its State Media Matrix.[14][15]
References
- ^ Olesen, Alexa (23 July 2014). "The New Website That Has China Buzzing". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Peter, Alain; Chen, Mengshu; Carrasco, Silvia (17 January 2017). "Power interplay and newspaper digitization: Lessons from the Pengpai experiment". Global Media and China. 1 (4): 497–510. doi:10.1177/2059436416687313.
- ^ a b Tatlow, Didi Kirsten (5 April 2016). "Digital Paper in China Covers Contentious Issues, Now in English". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "澎湃新闻引入6.1亿元人民币国有战略投资，东方早报正式整体转型". 上观新闻-站上海，观天下 (in Chinese). 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "《东方早报》完成转型 澎湃新闻引进国有战略投资者". CNR (in Chinese). 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "《东方早报》完成转型 澎湃新闻引进国有战略投资者-新华网". Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "上海国资6.1亿入股澎湃新闻 《东方早报》元旦休刊". 第一财经_专业创造价值 (in Chinese). 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "澎湃、易车先后裁员！汽车媒体开年放大招". 热点科技 (in Chinese). 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "澎湃、易车先后裁员！汽车媒体开年放大招". 澎湃新闻_网易订阅 (in Chinese). 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ Speelman, Tabitha (15 December 2015). "Looking for Smarter, Sexier Chinese State Media? There's an App for That". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "谁心澎湃？". 经济观察网 (in Simplified Chinese). 2014-10-08. Archived from the original on 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
- ^ "白血病患儿国产廉价救命药"断货"，李克强批示：特事特办_财经上下游_澎湃新闻-The Paper". thepaper.cn (in Chinese). 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "白血病患儿国产廉价救命药出现"断货"，李克强批示：特事特办！_滚动新闻_中国政府网". 中国政府网_中央人民政府门户网站 (in Chinese). 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "Shanghai United Media Group". State Media Monitor. Media and Journalism Research Center. September 7, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ^ "Typology". State Media Monitor. Media and Journalism Research Center. May 25, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
