Apple Daily

The Apple Daily is a tabloid-style newspaper printed in Taiwan and owned by Hong Kong-based Next Media. According to the media ranking survey results released by Shih Hsin University in 2012, “Apple Daily” is number one in popularity, content depth, being unbiased and with its trustworthiness.

Apple Daily Taiwan was founded on 2nd May 2003. During its first issue release, the sales was far beyond the other newspapers available in the market. It quickly grabbed the market by providing readers with full-color printing and a lower price than other newspapers. The most prominent feature of Apple Daily is that it focus on pictures and visual diagrams, with full-color printing which cannot be seen in general newspapers. This made Apple Daily into one of the influential newspapers in Taiwan.

The founder of Next Media, Jimmy Lai, came up with the name “Apple Daily” as he said: “If Eve have not had a bite of the forbidden fruit, there will not be evil in this world, no right or wrong, and of course there will not be news.” Therefore he named it “Apple Daily”. It has detailed reports on sensitive political issues, as well as sharp comments, but to being an unbiased newspaper, reports on the pro-blue and pro-green political parties are each of fifty percent to make it a balance.

China Times

The China Times was founded in 1950 under the name Credit News and focused mainly on price indices. The name changed on January 1, 1960 to Credit Newspaper, with daily and comprehensive news coverage. On September 1, 1968, the name changed once again to China Times, presently based in the Wanhua district of Taipei.

The founder, Yu Jizhong, died in 2002, leaving the presidency of the paper to his second son, Yu Jianxin. Yu Jizhong’s eldest daughter, Yu Fanying, is the vice president. The bureau chief is presently Lin Shengfen, the general manager Huang Zhaosong, and the chief editor Huang Qinglong.

In 2008, the China Times Group was sold to the Want Want Holdings Limited, the largest rice cake manufacturer in Taiwan.

Political position of China Times

The political position of the China Times have been slanted towards the pro-blue coalition (pro-unification), although it is considered more moderate than the United Daily News. Relations with the Kuomintang nationalist government have in the past been close, but when the China Times U.S. Edition ceased publication after the Chiang Nan Incident in October 1984, the China Times broke with the KMT president Chiang Ching-kuo in protest. Since the 1980s, the China Times has developed a more liberal and pro-democratic stance, often concerned with progressive issues such as social justice or environmental concerns. During the 1990s, the China Times was often supportive of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, more on the grounds of liberalism rather than Taiwanese Independence.

Although Taiwanese politics in general have been centered more on the cross-strait relations rather than a left-right division, the China Times has generally been more sympathetic towards social democratic policies or activism. This has led to a more critical stance towards Chinese domestic policies, especially when compared to the solidly blue United Daily News. The Liberty Times represents the pro-independence pan-green position.

The China Times Group also operates an English language chinese news website, WantChinaTimes.com, established in 2010.