Type Daily newspaper Founded 1978 Language Chinese | Format Broadsheet Political alignment moderate | |
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Owner(s) Sing Tao Group of Hong Kong, Toronto Star | ||
The Sing Tao Daily (Chinese: 星島日報; pinyin: Xīngdǎo Rìbào), or Sing Tao (Chinese: 星島; pinyin: Xīngdǎo) for short, is one of a few Chinese language newspapers in Canada. Based in Toronto, Ontario, it is owned by the Sing Tao Group of Hong Kong and the Toronto Star. In Toronto, the Sing Tao Daily publishes its Canada Eastern Edition (加東版 Pinyin: Jiā Dōng Bǎn).
Contents
- Supplements magazines
- Top Sing Tao editor fired for changing Toronto Star story
- Offices
- Rivals
- Radio
- References
Sing Tao's connection to the Toronto Star was through Andrew V. Go, former Star vice president for business ventures. Go's father, Go Puan Seng, was the publisher of The Fookien Times, then the Philippines' largest Chinese-language newspaper which also published the Philippine edition of the Sing Tao, and was a family friend of then Sing Tao Group's Sally Aw.
A Canada Western Edition (加西版 Pinyin: Jiā Xī Bǎn) in Vancouver, British Columbia and an Alberta Edition in Calgary, Alberta has also been published since 1988.
The paper, the only Chinese language newspaper publishing in 3 different Canadian cities, is published 7 days a week in the broadsheet format. News coverage includes national, provincial, and local news, international news, Hong Kong news, news from other parts of China (both Mainland China and Taiwan), plus business, sports, lifestyle, entertainment, etc.
Supplements (magazines)
The Sing Tao publishes several weekly magazines. Unlike the situation in Hong Kong where the magazines are sold as separate publications, these are more properly called supplements that come free with the paper. The pages inside the magazines are also printed on newsprint instead of glossy (coated) paper.
The free magazines that come with the Canada Eastern edition are:
From time to time, special supplements are also published.
Top Sing Tao editor fired for changing Toronto Star story
In 2009, the top editor of Toronto’s Sing Tao Daily, Wilson Chan, was fired shortly after it was revealed that he drastically modified an original Toronto Star article on Tibet to remove criticisms of the Chinese government, before publishing the story in Sing Tao. The decision to remove Chan is said to have come from Torstar Corp, who owns a majority share in Sing Tao’s Canadian edition.
The original story, “Chinese Canadians Conflicted on Tibet,” which ran on April 13, 2008, was written by a reporter for the Toronto Star, an English-language newspaper also owned by Torstar Corporation. The relationship gives Sing Tao rights to translate and publish stories from the Star. Chan’s edits to the Chinese language story, which was revealed by media outlets in 2009, included changing the headline to, “The West Attacks China With Tibet Issue, Inciting Chinese Patriotism Overseas.” The edited version omitted all quotes critical of the Chinese regime’s human rights abuses, and added comments blaming the West for "suppressing China" with media reports of the crackdown in Tibet.
Offices
Rivals
Radio
Sing Tao Daily has a majority stake in Toronto First Radio AM 1540 with minority holder Fairchild Group. The station began operations on January 28, 2008 as A1 Chinese Radio.