As news broke that China was pressuring Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to sell the South China Morning Post, surprised employees pondered the future of Hong Kong’s main English-language daily.
When Hangzhou-based Alibaba bought the SCMP in 2015 for $266 million, it injected much-needed cash into its operations and pledged that the century-old newspaper would retain editorial independence.
While the newspaper has come under steady criticism for a tilt toward Beijing under Alibaba, its journalists closely covered the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong while also publishing diverse opinions and coverage critical of China.