General Information » Further Reading » Newspapers & Magazines

Singapore has seven major daily newspapers in three languages. They are all published by Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times is the main English language daily, with a circulation of 400,000 and a readership of one million. The Business Times, The New Paper (an afternoon tabloid) and Today (circulated free), are also in English. The other three are in Chinese (Lianhe Zaobao), Malay (Berita Harian) and Tamil (Tamil Murasu). Newspapers are available by subscription and delivered to your door, or you can pick one up just about anywhere; many shops and most petrol stations sell them. Larger supermarkets and specialist magazine shops carry foreign newspapers such as the International Herald Tribune.

From a technical perspective, local newspapers are excellent in quality, especially the coverage of world news. A board of censors is responsible for all media including broadcast and the arts. However, the newspapers have a custom of self-censorship based on second-guessing government sensibilities or on experience. Culturally, Singaporeans prefer to err on the safe side and to avoid rocking the boat. The ban on Cosmopolitan was recently lifted – an indication the government is gradually loosening its tight control. However, Playboy and Penthouse remain out of circulation.

There are numerous locally published magazines in different languages, covering a wide spectrum of subjects from parenting, teens, computers, sports, wine, dining and architecture to, of course, dozens of women’s fashion titles. Popular local magazines are Her World, Female, Women’s Weekly, Simply Her, New Man, Young Parents, Family, Wine & Dine, 8 Days and Home & Décor. The foreign magazines such as Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Cleo, Tatler, FHM, Time, Newsweek and The Economist are abundant and many magazine stands carry them. On the whole, because of the limited readership compared to broadcast or dailies, magazines can get away with much more in terms of editorial content. Articles about sex, once taboo, are now virtually de rigueur in many of the popular publications.

Most bookshops and hotels carry entertainment, shopping and sightseeing guides. The Singapore Visitor can be found at the airport and most hotels. The free magazine IS keeps locals up-to-date on what’s happening in town and is available at many pubs and restaurants and at the tourist information centres. Other popular resources for expats include Expat and Expat Living magazines.

At the time of writing, it was announced that Time Out would be launching Time Out Singapore – a monthly entertainment and listings magazine – in ...