Asia & Pacific News Sources

Last reviewed: July 2026

Asia & Pacific News Sources

A working directory of news sources for Asia and the Pacific, covering major outlets and significant independent and new media, in native languages and English. Descriptions are factual: ownership, funding model, and editorial reputation, not bias scores. Where a country’s press is state-controlled or independent journalism operates under serious constraint, that is noted directly. This directory currently covers six larger countries plus a pan-regional and “other sources” list. More countries will be added over time.

Pan-Regional Sources

  • Nikkei Asia (Japan; English) — Pan-Asian business and economy coverage published by Nikkei Inc., Japan’s largest financial media group.
  • South China Morning Post (Hong Kong; English) — Hong Kong-based, Alibaba-owned, covering China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
  • The Diplomat (United States-published, Asia-focused staff; English) — Online magazine on Asia-Pacific politics, security, and society, read widely by policymakers and academics.
  • Radio Free Asia (United States; multiple Asian languages and English) — US government-funded broadcaster reporting into countries with restricted domestic press freedom.
  • Asia Times (Hong Kong/Bangkok; English) — Independent pan-Asian news and analysis outlet.

China

China’s press is state-controlled by design. The most significant independent or critical Chinese-language journalism largely operates from outside mainland China or within tightly licensed boundaries.

Major / State Media

  • Xinhua (Chinese; English edition) — China’s official state news agency.
  • CGTN (Chinese; English) — International arm of China Central Television, state broadcaster.
  • Global Times (Chinese; English edition) — State-affiliated tabloid known for nationalist commentary.
  • Caixin (Chinese; English edition, Caixin Global) — Licensed business and financial outlet known for investigative reporting; in 2021 Chinese regulators removed Caixin from the official list of outlets other sites may redistribute, narrowing its domestic reach.

Independent / Diaspora

  • China Digital Times (English and Chinese) — US-based outlet that tracks Chinese internet censorship directives and republishes material blocked domestically.
  • Radio Free Asia, Mandarin Service (Chinese) — Reports for mainland and diaspora Chinese-speaking audiences; not accessible without circumvention tools inside China.

India

Mainstream ownership is concentrated among a small number of business groups broadly supportive of the current government. Independent digital outlets, mostly donor- or subscription-funded, produce a disproportionate share of investigative reporting and face recurring legal pressure.

Major / Mainstream

  • The Times of India (English) — India’s largest-circulation English daily.
  • The Hindu (English) — National daily with a long-standing reputation for measured, sourced reporting.
  • Hindustan Times (English) — Major national daily.

Independent / New Media

  • The Wire (English) — Nonprofit investigative outlet funded through donations; known for reporting on electoral finance and government accountability. In 2022 it retracted a story after failures in its verification process, a credibility episode worth knowing about alongside its investigative record.
  • Scroll.in (English) — Independent digital outlet with institutional investors and a reader membership program.
  • Newslaundry (English/Hindi) — Subscriber-funded outlet combining original reporting with media criticism.
  • The Caravan (English) — Long-form investigative monthly magazine.

Japan

Mainstream reporting operates through Japan’s kisha club (press club) system, which grants regular access to officials in exchange for close relationships between reporters and institutions. Independent nonprofit investigative journalism is a recent and still small development.

Major / Mainstream

  • Asahi Shimbun (Japanese; English edition) — One of Japan’s largest national dailies.
  • Yomiuri Shimbun (Japanese; English edition) — The world’s largest-circulation newspaper by print copies.
  • NHK (Japanese; English, NHK World) — Japan’s public broadcaster.
  • The Japan Times (English) — Japan’s oldest English-language daily.

Independent / New Media

  • Tansa (Japanese; English edition) — Japan’s first nonprofit investigative newsroom, founded 2017 as Waseda Chronicle. Runs no ads and no paywall, funded entirely by donations, and was founded by a reporter who left Asahi Shimbun after a retracted investigation.

Indonesia

Press freedom improved substantially after the fall of Suharto in 1998, but ownership of major outlets is concentrated among a handful of politically connected conglomerates, and defamation law is regularly used against journalists covering corruption.

Major / Mainstream

  • Kompas (Indonesian) — Indonesia’s largest national daily.
  • Antara (Indonesian; English edition) — Indonesia’s state news agency.
  • The Jakarta Post (English) — Leading English-language daily, now fully digital.

Independent / New Media

  • Tempo (Indonesian; English edition) — Independent investigative weekly, banned twice under Suharto for its reporting and revived after 1998. Continues to face defamation suits and government pressure over investigative stories.

South Korea

Print media has long been dominated by three conservative dailies known collectively as “the big three.” Hankyoreh was founded in 1988 by journalists dismissed for demanding editorial independence, and a donor-funded investigative nonprofit sector has grown since 2012.

Major / Mainstream

  • Chosun Ilbo (Korean; English edition) — South Korea’s largest-circulation newspaper, generally conservative.
  • Yonhap News Agency (Korean; English) — South Korea’s principal wire service, widely used across domestic media.
  • The Korea Herald (English) — South Korea’s largest English-language daily.

Independent / New Media

  • Hankyoreh (Korean; English edition) — Founded in 1988 by journalists dismissed under military-era censorship; commonly described as progressive and generally seen as a counterweight to the conservative big three.
  • Newstapa (KCIJ) (Korean; limited English) — Nonprofit investigative newsroom founded in 2012 by journalists who left mainstream broadcasters over editorial interference. Funded entirely by roughly 30,000 donating members; accepts no advertising or corporate sponsorship.

Australia

Ownership is heavily concentrated between News Corp and Nine Entertainment. Public broadcasters ABC and SBS provide a significant counterweight, and independent subscription-funded outlets have grown over the past decade.

Major / Mainstream

  • ABC News (English) — Australia’s public broadcaster.
  • Sydney Morning Herald (English) — Major daily, part of Nine Entertainment.
  • The Australian (English) — National broadsheet owned by News Corp, generally conservative-leaning.

Independent / New Media

  • Guardian Australia (English) — Australian edition of the independently structured Guardian, funded through reader contributions and advertising rather than a controlling proprietor.
  • Crikey (English) — Independent subscription-funded digital outlet known for investigative reporting and commentary.
  • The Saturday Paper (English) — Independent weekly published by Schwartz Media.

Other Asia-Pacific Sources

A working list of additional sources across the region, to be expanded into full country sections over time.

  • Taipei Times (Taiwan; English) — English-language daily.
  • Rappler (Philippines; English) — Independent digital outlet, known internationally for its press freedom battles during the Duterte administration.
  • Bangkok Post (Thailand; English) — Leading English-language daily.
  • Prachatai (Thailand; Thai/English) — Independent nonprofit news site.
  • VnExpress International (Vietnam; English) — Widely read Vietnamese digital outlet’s English edition.
  • Malaysiakini (Malaysia; English/Malay) — Independent subscription-funded digital outlet.
  • The Straits Times (Singapore; English) — Singapore’s dominant English daily, published by state-linked SPH Media.
  • Dawn (Pakistan; English) — Pakistan’s oldest and most widely cited English-language daily.
  • The Daily Star (Bangladesh; English) — Bangladesh’s leading English-language daily.
  • RNZ (New Zealand; English) — New Zealand’s public broadcaster.
  • The Irrawaddy (Myanmar; English/Burmese) — Independent outlet operating in exile since the 2021 military coup.
  • Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka; English) — Leading English-language daily.