''The Paper'' ( zh, first=s, s=澎湃新闻, l=Surging News) is a Chinese

digital newspaper A digital newspaper is a digital version of a printed newspaper. Newspapers can be digitally published online or as a digital copy on a digital device, such as a mobile phone or an E Ink reader. Online Web Many organisations that publish a prin ...

owned and run by the state-owned

Shanghai United Media Group The Shanghai United Media Group (SUMG) is a state media company of the People's Republic of China overseen by the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The headquarter of the Group is located at 755 Weihai Road in S ...

History

''The Paper'' was launched in July 2014 as an offshoot of the Shanghai United Media Group publication ''

Oriental Morning Post The ''Oriental Morning Post'' (), or ''Dongfang Zaobao'', also known as ''Oriental Morning News'', was a Shanghai-based Chinese-language morning newspaper published in China. The newspaper was jointly founded by Nanfang Daily and Wenhui Xinmin ...

''. It received a large amount of initial funding, speculated to be anywhere from US$16 million to 64 million. Of this, RMB 100 million (approximately $) was provided by the government through the

Cyberspace Administration of China The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC; ) is the national internet regulator and censor of the People's Republic of China. The agency was initially established in 2011 by the State Council as the State Internet Information Office (SIIO) ...

. ''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. In May 2016, ''The Paper'' launched ''

Sixth Tone ''Sixth Tone'' () is a Chinese state-owned English-language online magazine published by Shanghai United Media Group. Name ''Sixth Tones name relates to the number of tones in Mandarin Chinese, but also is stated to carry more metaphoric ...

'', an English-language sister publication. 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. 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. Simultaneously, the Shanghai United Media Group resolved that as of January 1, 2017, the ''

'' discontinued publication, with all original news reporting and opinion guidance functions being transferred to ''The Paper''. 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.

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 The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

. ''The Paper'' has focused on

investigative reporting Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend m ...

. The day of its founding, it published a piece on judicial misconduct in

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

province, prompting the Anhui

High People's Court A high people's court or higher people's court (高级人民法院) is the highest local court in the People's Republic of China. In each province, it is subject to the "People's Congress". According to the '' Organic Law of the People's Courts ...

to reopen an investigation into a case. It has since become known for similar stories on societal scandals and corruption, including a series on

Ling Jihua Ling Jihua (born 22 October 1956) is a former Chinese politician and one of the principal political advisers of former leader Hu Jintao. Ling was best known for his tenure as director of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party between ...

. Certain reports garnered the attention of leaders; for instance, in November 2017, Premier

Li Keqiang Li Keqiang ( zh, s=李克强, p=Lǐ Kèqiáng; 3 July 1955 – 27 October 2023) was a Chinese economist and politician who served as the seventh premier of China from 2013 to 2023. He was also the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing ...

addressed ''The Paper'' news regarding "children with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

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."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paper (newspaper), The 2014 establishments in Shanghai Internet properties established in 2014 Chinese news websites State media Chinese Communist Party newspapers Chinese propaganda organisations Shanghai United Media Group