South China Morning Post Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Editorial Independence

Hong Kong – The editorial independence of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) has once again been brought into question following a recent social media post by tech entrepreneur Blake Scholl. Scholl, the founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, asserted on social media that the SCMP serves as a conduit for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) narratives intended for Western audiences, stating, "Reading this stuff uncritically is like injecting CCP propaganda directly into your brain."

The SCMP, a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper, was acquired by Alibaba Group in 2016. At the time of the acquisition, Alibaba's executive vice-chairman, Joseph Tsai, pledged to uphold the newspaper's editorial independence, aiming to provide a "fair and accurate" perspective on China to counter what he described as Western media bias. The newspaper subsequently removed its paywall to broaden its global readership.

Despite these assurances, concerns about the SCMP's autonomy have been consistently raised by critics, including The New York Times, Der Spiegel, and The Atlantic. These outlets have alleged that the newspaper is increasingly promoting China's soft power abroad and exhibiting signs of self-censorship. One notable instance involved the controversial 2018 interview with Gui Minhai, a bookseller detained in China, which critics suggested was a "propaganda ploy" orchestrated by Chinese authorities.

Further examples cited by observers include the dismissal of several columnists critical of the Chinese government in 2015, prior to the Alibaba acquisition but under previous ownership with alleged pro-Beijing inclinations. More recently, in October 2022, a former senior editor, Peter Langan, reportedly resigned after the SCMP rejected his three-month investigation into human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, citing a failure to meet "editorial verification process and publishing standards." The SCMP maintains strict editorial policies and standards, including a commitment to accuracy, fairness, and balance, as outlined on its official website.

Blake Scholl's background as a successful tech entrepreneur and founder of Boom Supersonic positions him as an external voice commenting on media integrity rather than an industry insider. His statement reflects ongoing public and expert debate regarding the balance between the SCMP's stated journalistic principles and the perceived influence of its Chinese ownership.