6 ms·

Can you rely on South China Morning Post (scmp.com) to be unbiased as their current owner is Chinese Alibaba Group ? Apart from mild criticisms, I don't think A

by acd10j 7y ago

Can you rely on South China Morning Post (scmp.com) to be unbiased as their current owner is Chinese Alibaba Group ? Apart from mild criticisms, I don't think Alibaba group can afford to publish against Chinese government.

kenneth 7y ago
> Can you rely on South China Morning Post (scmp.com) to be unbiased as their current owner is Chinese Alibaba Group ? Apart from mild criticisms, I don't think Alibaba group can afford to publish against Chinese government. Not sure why your comment was killed, because I think it's a valid question. But since it was, responding here. Yes, they're owned by Alibaba. I happen to know some SCMP employees which gives me confidence that they're still editorially independent. They of course have a pretty pro-status-quo stance, and I don't recommend on relying on them entirely as your only source of information, but I don't believe China has any editorial influence. (Also important to note Alibaba isn't necessarily in the CCP's best graces lately.)
- loyukfai 7y ago
  Am not following SCMP closely so better not comment on their editorial independence rashly... However, this may give you some additional perspective: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/11/13/i-will-no-longer-write-south-china-morning-post/ https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/11/13/i-will-no-longer-write...
  - unityByFreedom 7y ago
    Yeah Hong Kong Free Press may be the most independent source. You can support them here: https://www.hongkongfp.com/support-hkfp/ https://www.hongkongfp.com/support-hkfp/
- stefan_ 7y ago
  You literally just have to open their front page to find them calling military deployments in a stadium near Hong Kong "drills", citing anonymous sources that say "they are not of concern" and quoting liberally from anonymous online-posters on Chinese message boards (sic!) spouting hate.
  - 9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago
    They are literally drills: nobody is getting shot in Shenzhen. Of course the drills are sabre-rattling, a show of force intended to send a message, and preparation for a future assault if necessary -- but they're still drills, not use of the military in anger.
    - stefan_ 7y ago
      Every "use of the military in anger" in history involves massing your forces at strategic borders. That is just War 101.
      - Aeolun 7y ago
        Also promises to the other party that “Don’t worry, this is all just a drill.”
      - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
        Okay, but given that the army hasn't attacked anyone as of right now, what term would you consider appropriate to describe the "drills"?
        stefan_ 7y ago
        There is a term for this: mobilization. It's a bit more dramatic, of course, in wars past, but the concept remains the same: > Poland partly mobilized its troops on August 24, 1939, and fully mobilized on August 30, 1939, following the increased confrontations with Germany since March 1939. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland, which prompted both France and Britain to declare war on Germany. > On 30 August, the Polish Navy sent its destroyer flotilla to Britain, executing the Peking Plan. On the same day, Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły announced the mobilization of Polish troops. However, he was pressured into revoking the order by the French, who apparently still hoped for a diplomatic settlement, failing to realize that the Germans were fully mobilized and concentrated at the Polish border.
  - consciouskernel 7y ago
- acd10j 7y ago
  I don’t think it was killed, There are no upvotes or downvotes , It is just at bottom of the comment thread. That being said SCMP might still have some people who are editorially independent now. But I don’t think They would want to push their luck too far. Considering Alibaba group can face consequences of same in Mainland
  - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
    The post was likely dead at the time the GP posted, and later some people vouched for the post to bring it back to life.
    - acd10j 7y ago
      Can @dang confirm it , that it was dead due to downvotes or some bug. I do not see any downvotes or upvotes. You may be right but I Cannot confirm it.
      - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
        Fyi, you can only ever see upvotes on your own posts.
    - dang 7y ago
      Right, it was killed by a software filter and then users vouched for it. I've fixed the software filter and moved kenneth's reply to be a child of the comment it was replying to.

by acd10j 7y ago

kenneth 7y ago

> Can you rely on South China Morning Post (scmp.com) to be unbiased as their current owner is Chinese Alibaba Group ? Apart from mild criticisms, I don't think Alibaba group can afford to publish against Chinese government. Not sure why your comment was killed, because I think it's a valid question. But since it was, responding here. Yes, they're owned by Alibaba. I happen to know some SCMP employees which gives me confidence that they're still editorially independent. They of course have a pretty pro-status-quo stance, and I don't recommend on relying on them entirely as your only source of information, but I don't believe China has any editorial influence. (Also important to note Alibaba isn't necessarily in the CCP's best graces lately.)

loyukfai 7y ago
Am not following SCMP closely so better not comment on their editorial independence rashly... However, this may give you some additional perspective: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/11/13/i-will-no-longer-write-south-china-morning-post/ https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/11/13/i-will-no-longer-write...
- unityByFreedom 7y ago
  Yeah Hong Kong Free Press may be the most independent source. You can support them here: https://www.hongkongfp.com/support-hkfp/ https://www.hongkongfp.com/support-hkfp/
stefan_ 7y ago
You literally just have to open their front page to find them calling military deployments in a stadium near Hong Kong "drills", citing anonymous sources that say "they are not of concern" and quoting liberally from anonymous online-posters on Chinese message boards (sic!) spouting hate.
- 9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago
  They are literally drills: nobody is getting shot in Shenzhen. Of course the drills are sabre-rattling, a show of force intended to send a message, and preparation for a future assault if necessary -- but they're still drills, not use of the military in anger.
  - stefan_ 7y ago
    Every "use of the military in anger" in history involves massing your forces at strategic borders. That is just War 101.
    - Aeolun 7y ago
      Also promises to the other party that “Don’t worry, this is all just a drill.”
    - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
      Okay, but given that the army hasn't attacked anyone as of right now, what term would you consider appropriate to describe the "drills"?
      - stefan_ 7y ago
        There is a term for this: mobilization. It's a bit more dramatic, of course, in wars past, but the concept remains the same: > Poland partly mobilized its troops on August 24, 1939, and fully mobilized on August 30, 1939, following the increased confrontations with Germany since March 1939. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland, which prompted both France and Britain to declare war on Germany. > On 30 August, the Polish Navy sent its destroyer flotilla to Britain, executing the Peking Plan. On the same day, Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły announced the mobilization of Polish troops. However, he was pressured into revoking the order by the French, who apparently still hoped for a diplomatic settlement, failing to realize that the Germans were fully mobilized and concentrated at the Polish border.
- consciouskernel 7y ago
acd10j 7y ago
I don’t think it was killed, There are no upvotes or downvotes , It is just at bottom of the comment thread. That being said SCMP might still have some people who are editorially independent now. But I don’t think They would want to push their luck too far. Considering Alibaba group can face consequences of same in Mainland
- Wowfunhappy 7y ago
  The post was likely dead at the time the GP posted, and later some people vouched for the post to bring it back to life.
  - acd10j 7y ago
    Can @dang confirm it , that it was dead due to downvotes or some bug. I do not see any downvotes or upvotes. You may be right but I Cannot confirm it.
    - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
      Fyi, you can only ever see upvotes on your own posts.
  - dang 7y ago
    Right, it was killed by a software filter and then users vouched for it. I've fixed the software filter and moved kenneth's reply to be a child of the comment it was replying to.