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New Straits Times

Malaysian pro-establishment, center

Owned byNew Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP), a subsidiary of publicly listed Media Prima Bhd; as of late 2024, major Media Prima shareholders include JAG Capital Holdings (linked to Malaysian Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, ~25%) and Morgan Stanley (~10%), after Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary's Aurora Mulia divested its ~32% stake in October 2024
FundingCommercial: print and digital advertising plus subscriptions; Media Prima is publicly listed on Bursa Malaysia; the Malaysian government has also provided limited media innovation grants to the broader industry
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

The New Straits Times traces its roots to The Straits Times, founded in colonial Singapore on 15 July 1845. After Malaysia and Singapore separated in 1965 the Malaysian edition became a distinct outlet. In 1972, UMNO's investment arm, Fleet Holdings, acquired the Malaysian operations, cementing the paper's role as a voice of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition for decades. Ownership evolved through successive corporate restructurings — Fleet Holdings to Renong Berhad, then to Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad — before the publisher was folded into Media Prima when that conglomerate was formed in the early 2000s. Throughout the BN era, international press-freedom watchdogs and domestic critics widely regarded NST as serving establishment interests over independent journalism. A notable controversy in 2012 saw NST falsely portray an Australian senator's speech as an attack on Islam when it had actually targeted Scientology; the paper apologised after a defamation threat. After Pakatan Harapan's 2018 election victory, NST's editorial tone became less overtly partisan. The shareholder base has shifted: by 2024 Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary's Aurora Mulia had sold its roughly 32% stake, leaving politicians and institutional investors as the principal Media Prima shareholders. Media Bias/Fact Check currently rates NST as 'Least Biased' with 'Mostly Factual' reporting.

Sources

  1. New Straits Times – Wikipedia
  2. New Straits Times Press – Wikipedia
  3. Media Prima – Wikipedia
  4. New Straits Times – Bias and Credibility (Media Bias/Fact Check)
  5. Syed Mokhtar-linked Aurora Mulia no longer stakeholder in Media Prima – Malay Mail (Oct 2024)
  6. Media Prima clarifies Aurora Mulia still its largest shareholder – NST (Oct 2024)
  7. UMNO to monetise Media Prima stakes – NST (2019)
  8. PM: Trump's visit proof Malaysia is a neutral, dependable regional partner – NST (Oct 2025)
  9. Who controls the media? BN hypocrisy exposed – Malaysiakini

Profile compiled 2026-06-28; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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