If you’ve spent any time looking for news out of Asia, you’ve hit the paywall. You know the one. The yellow and black logo of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) is basically the gatekeeper for anyone trying to understand what’s actually happening in the world's most complicated financial hub. But here's the thing. Most people looking at it from the outside—especially in the US or UK—have this weirdly binary view of it. They either think it’s a fearless bastion of colonial-era free press or, more recently, a mouthpiece for Beijing because Alibaba bought it back in 2016.
The truth is messier.
Honestly, it’s a lot more interesting than the "state-run" versus "free" debate allows for. Dealing with the South China Morning Post in 2026 means navigating a publication that is simultaneously trying to be a global brand like The New York Times while surviving under a National Security Law that has already claimed competitors like Apple Daily and Stand News. It’s a tightrope walk. A high-stakes, multi-billion dollar tightrope walk.
The Alibaba Era and the Ghost of Jack Ma
When Alibaba Group bought the paper for roughly $266 million, the media world collectively lost its mind. People were convinced that Jack Ma was going to turn the South China Morning Post into a PR wing for the Hangzhou tech giant. And sure, early on, there was a shift. Joseph Tsai, the executive vice chairman of Alibaba, was very vocal about wanting to provide a "pluralistic" view of China. He basically said the Western media was too biased against the mainland.
He wasn't entirely wrong about the bias, but his solution raised eyebrows.
The paper underwent a massive digital transformation. They dropped the paywall for a while to chase global traffic—a move that felt more like a tech startup than a 120-year-old newspaper—before eventually putting it back up when the reality of "free content" hit the bottom line. But throughout this period, the editorial room remained a weird mix of old-school Hong Kong reporters, mainland-born journalists, and international hires from the BBC or The Guardian. It created this internal friction that actually made the reporting quite nuanced for a long time. You’d have a hard-hitting investigative piece on one page and a "China's poverty alleviation is amazing" op-ed on the next.
It’s confusing. It’s supposed to be.
Why the South China Morning Post Matters Right Now
You might ask why a paper from a city of seven million people carries so much weight. It’s because Hong Kong is the only place—even now, with all the legal changes—where you can get English-language reporting on China from people who actually live in the blast zone.
🔗 Read more: Recent Obituaries in Charlottesville VA: What Most People Get Wrong
Mainland reporting is restricted. Global wires like Reuters or Bloomberg are great for finance but often miss the cultural pulse. The South China Morning Post lives in the middle. They cover the "Two Sessions" in Beijing with the kind of granular detail that most Westerners find boring but that hedge fund managers find essential. They track the movement of the People's Liberation Army. They report on the specific legal shifts in the Greater Bay Area.
Survival in the Shadow of the National Security Law
Since 2020, the vibe has changed. You've probably noticed it if you're a long-time reader.
The "red lines" are invisible but very real. When Jimmy Lai’s Apple Daily was raided and forced to close, it sent a shockwave through the South China Morning Post newsroom. Suddenly, the question wasn't just "is this story good?" but "is this story going to get the editor arrested?"
That kind of pressure does things to a newsroom. It leads to self-censorship, which is way harder to track than direct government censorship. You won't see a government official standing over a reporter's shoulder. Instead, you'll see a story about a sensitive political trial getting buried under a "10 Best Dim Sum Places" lifestyle feature. Or you'll see the use of "unnamed sources" dry up because people are too scared to talk to journalists.
But here’s the nuanced bit: SCMP still covers things that mainland outlets won't touch. They still report on social unrest (carefully), economic mismanagement (technically), and international sanctions. They are playing a game of "survival of the useful." As long as they are useful to both the global business community and the local establishment, they stay in business.
The Digital Pivot: Not Just a Newspaper Anymore
If you look at their YouTube channel or their "Goldthread" brand, you'll see where the money is going. They aren't just selling news; they’re selling "China Insight."
They’ve leaned hard into video. Their documentaries on Chinese craftsmanship or the history of the Kowloon Walled City are top-tier. It’s a smart move. While the political reporting gets squeezed, the cultural and "explain-y" content thrives. This is where the South China Morning Post is actually winning the SEO war. They aren't just ranking for "Hong Kong politics"; they're ranking for "How to make chili oil" and "Future of Chinese EVs."
💡 You might also like: Trump New Gun Laws: What Most People Get Wrong
It’s a pivot from being a regional paper of record to becoming a global vertical on all things China.
The Problem of Trust
We have to talk about the "Editorials." This is where the SCMP gets the most heat.
The opinion section often feels like a different universe than the news section. You'll see pieces by pro-Beijing stalwarts that read like press releases from the Liaison Office. For a Western reader used to the clear-ish divide between "Opinion" and "News," this is jarring. It’s the primary reason why critics call it a propaganda tool.
However, if you talk to the reporters on the ground—the ones covering the protests back in 2019 or the COVID-19 lockdowns—they’ll tell you they fought for every word. There’s a genuine internal struggle there. To dismiss the whole paper as a mouthpiece ignores the work of hundreds of journalists who are trying to do real work in a city that is fundamentally changing.
Navigating the Paywall and the Content
Is a subscription worth it? Honestly, it depends on who you are.
If you’re a casual reader, you can probably get by with the free articles or the newsletters. Their "Post Magazine" is actually great for long-form Sunday reading that has nothing to do with politics. But if you are in finance, trade, or tech, you basically have to pay. There is no other outlet that covers the intersection of Chinese tech policy and Hong Kong’s legal system with this much frequency.
The South China Morning Post has also branched out into niche products like "Lunar" (focused on women in Asia) and various podcasts. They are trying to build an ecosystem. They want to be the "everything app" of Asian media. Whether they can maintain their credibility while doing that is the $266 million question.
📖 Related: Why Every Tornado Warning MN Now Live Alert Demands Your Immediate Attention
What You Should Watch For
Keep an eye on the bylines. A lot of the veteran staff left between 2021 and 2023. Many moved to Taiwan, the UK, or started their own Substack newsletters. When you see a sudden influx of new names, it usually indicates a shift in newsroom culture.
Also, watch their coverage of the "Article 23" legislation. This is the local Hong Kong security law that was passed to "plug loopholes" in the national security law. How the SCMP covers the implementation of this law will tell you everything you need to know about their remaining editorial independence. If they're critical, they're still fighting. If it's all sunshine and rainbows, the transition is complete.
How to Read SCMP Without Getting Fooled
You have to read between the lines. It’s an art form.
- Check the Source: If a story is based on "sources close to the government," it’s often a trial balloon. The government uses the paper to see how the public reacts to a potential policy.
- Compare with International Wires: If there’s a major event, read the SCMP version and then read the AP or Reuters version. The differences—what is left out—are usually more important than what is included.
- Look at the Placement: On the website, what's at the top? If a major global story is hidden at the bottom while a local charity event is at the top, that's an editorial choice driven by pressure.
- Follow the Individual Reporters: Find them on X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn. Often, they provide context or "scrapped" details that didn't make it into the final edit.
The South China Morning Post remains an essential, flawed, brilliant, and compromised institution. It is a perfect reflection of Hong Kong itself: caught between two worlds, trying to stay relevant while the rules of the game are rewritten in real-time.
To stay informed, you shouldn't stop reading it. You should just start reading it more carefully. Use it as a data point, not a sole source. Follow the money, watch the bylines, and always ask yourself why a specific story is being told now.
Actionable Steps for the Informed Reader:
- Diversify your feed: Pair your SCMP reading with independent outlets like Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) to see what a non-corporate, non-aligned outlet is saying about the same topics.
- Utilize Newsletters: Sign up for their "China Briefing" but take the op-ed summaries with a grain of salt; use them to understand what the official "line" is on certain issues.
- Archive search: If you're researching a sensitive topic, use the Wayback Machine to see if articles have been edited or removed after publication—this has happened occasionally with sensitive political pieces.
- Check the "Letters to the Editor": It's one of the few places where you still see a genuine range of public frustration and debate from the local Hong Kong community.