Malay Mail

/Home/M-N Countries/Malaysia (Country Code 60)/Malaysian Newspapers

Malay Mail
It started out as a simple four-page newspaper with light news and advertisements for Europeans in Kuala Lumpur in 1896.

From its simple beginnings, the Malay Mail has evolved into a staple daily for many a reader, especially those in the Klang Valley, who were captivated by the paper’s emphasis on human interest news, campaigns for the aggrieved, and voices of the man-in-the-street, a style that earned the paper ithe affectionate labeling of THE paper for the small man.

The Malay Mail began at Market Street, Kuala Lumpur, on Dec 14, 1896. Founded by John Henney Matthews Robson, the hand-printed broadsheet had 200 copies, priced at 15 sen each.

After the Japanese invasion of Dec 8, 1941, the paper stopped production for 12 days from Jan 8, 1942. It was then made the only English paper in Selangor.The following year saw the paper renamed Malai Sinpo and used as a propaganda paper for the new colonial masters.

The Allied victory of 1945 saw The Malay Mail returning with a vengeance. From that year until Independence in 1957, the paper was at the forefront of reports on the struggle for Merdeka, and against Communism.

Feb 21, 1960, saw the start of the famed Malay Mail Big Walk or affectionately known as the Biggie, with 2,864 participants flagged off by the first Prime Minister, the late Tengku Abdul Rahman Putra, at Stadium Merdeka.

The Biggie has not only become an annual affair for locals but have attracted participants from all over the globe since its humble beginnings.

Feb 28, 1962, saw the paper and the Singapore Free Press merge, and this made The Malay Mail a national newspaper, with Kuala Lumpur and Singapore editions.

Sept 1, 1972, saw the paper become a part of The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, following the split of The Straits Times Group into Malaysian and Singaporean companies.

The paper became a tabloid on Oct 1, 1973, a big change, with human interest stories as its main focus.Its new, breezy style boosted readership, and lent everyman a voice.

Dec 15, 1981, saw The Malay Mail also named as The Paper That Cares.The paper built not just a strong rapport with everyman, but also the local councils.

In 1981, the paper gave increased emphasis on investigative journalism,and attached to lead stories taglines such as Mail Expose.Among such lead stories included the Kuala Lumpur Hospital Food Scandal (1981) and convicted businessman Abdullah Ang's special treatment by prison officers (1989).

The Malay Mail was the first newspaper to report significant international events to Malaysians, such as Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Its Hotline section which began on Dec 15, 1981, has since been an important channel for the public to air their grouses against the authorities and private sector.

Hotline is more than a complaints section. It has also brought forth major national events such as the People's Live Telecast Fund in June 1982, which enabled Malaysians to contribute towards live telecasts of that year's World Cup finals in Spain.The section was honoured two years later by the Malaysian Press Institute with the Public Service Award, a first to be given to a newspaper.

The newspaper has also won numerous awards for its reports, among them the Journalist of the Year Award for 1989 for its expose on Abdullah Ang, a former prisoner who was given special treatment to leave prisons to attend to his business dealings.

It was honoured with the same award in 1992, and received the Best Consumer Newspaper Award in 1993 from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Its latest feat was when it won the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) awards in 2004 in the best English news/feature category for a report exposing the wrongdoings at a local council.

Moving on with the changing times, The Malay Mail of today, which will turn 110 on Dec 14, has added new features to complement its traditional strong points.

Staying relevant to the ever-changing world of today, the paper now offers more for the young, focusing on lifestyle, entertainment and sports, without sacrificing its established values to serve readers and the society the way only The Malay Mail truly can.