Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

Malay Mail

Malaysian center-right

Owned byMalay Mail Sdn Bhd, a unit of Redberry Media Group, which is a subsidiary of Ancom Nylex Berhad — a diversified Malaysian conglomerate listed on Bursa Malaysia. The effective controller is Datuk Siew Ka Wei, who led the consortium that acquired the outlet from Media Prima in 2009.
FundingPrimarily advertising-funded, drawing on Redberry Media Group's broader advertising network that spans digital, out-of-home, and broadcast platforms. No subscription paywall. No state subsidy.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Malay Mail was founded on December 1, 1896, in Kuala Lumpur — then the new capital of the Federated Malay States — making it the oldest English-language daily in Malaysia. Its founder was journalist James Henry Matthews Robson. The Straits Times Press acquired the paper in 1952, and Fleet Holdings — a vehicle linked to UMNO, Malaysia's long-dominant ruling party — took over the broader Straits Times Malaysian operations in 1972, folding the Malay Mail into the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) group. NSTP was later transferred to the Renong conglomerate in 1988, deepening ties to the ruling establishment. In 2007–2008, Media Prima Berhad acquired and relaunched the Malay Mail as a free afternoon tabloid, but losses continued. In May 2009, NSTP sold its 100% stake for RM5 million to a consortium led by Datuk Siew Ka Wei of the Ancom group, severing its long association with UMNO-linked ownership. After 122 years in print, the paper ceased its print edition on December 1, 2018, and has operated as a digital news portal ever since, under Redberry Media Group — Ancom's media arm. Media Bias/Fact Check rates it right-center in bias and mostly factual, noting limited ownership transparency. Its English-language coverage targets a Malaysian and regional audience, and its reporting on the Trump administration's second term has focused on trade tariffs, foreign policy, and climate science, generally with a critical framing.

Sources

  1. Malay Mail — Wikipedia
  2. Malay Mail – Bias and Credibility — Media Bias/Fact Check
  3. Malay Mail | Redberry Media Group
  4. Death of a newspaper – What stopping print meant to the Malay Mail — Malaysiakini
  5. After more than a century, Malaysia's oldest tabloid The Malay Mail ceases print operations — Splice Media
  6. Malay Mail – Lingua Sinica
  7. 'Trying to bury the science': Trump's second-term war on US climate research — Malay Mail
  8. Explainer: Trump's new 10pc tariffs on Malaysia — Malay Mail

Profile compiled 2026-08-16; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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