Position Paper 1: News and Information

     The Star is the largest English-language newspaper in Malaysia, it is a member of the Asian News Network and is owned by Star Media Group . This popular newspaper was established in 1971 and has the largest daily circulation of about 250,000. According to their About Us page on their website, the Star’s goals are “always striven to provide readers with up to date breaking news, compelling content and insightful opinions.”. "The People's Paper" is celebrating their 50th anniversary of the newspaper.

    Even though Malaysia is a conservative country, according to Article 10 of the Constitution of Malaysia, Malaysian citizens are guaranteed the right to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association. For the Star, they cover topics such as: current news, business, sports, community, tech, lifestyle and world news. The Star weekday paper is packaged into a 4-in-1 paper, consisting of the Main Paper, StarBiz, Star2 and Star Metro. The Main Paper focuses on the latest international and local news, StarBiz covers business developments and updates in the stock market, and Star2 covers a variety of topics over lifestyle, entertainment, and health. These sections allow readers of the Star to receive a wide variety of topics each week. 

    The Star’s website is an interactive and organized website, making it easy for viewers to view different stories provided on the website. At the very top of their page a link to their epaper, as well as links to their events, exhibitions, a radio station, and different platforms from the Star Media Group. Underneath these links, clearly displayed on their website are the different topics for readers to click on. A newer edition to the website is their COVID-19 watch, which tracks the number of new and active cases, recovered and deceased patients, and the total doses for vaccinations. As you scroll down the website, breaking news stories transition into opinion columns and lifestyle pages. With a more in-depth look at the website, the home button allows you to see each topic covered by the digital newspaper. The coverage ranges from scores on the golf course to changes in the entertainment business. 

    The accessibility to the newspaper is not limited to a hardcopy or website; the Star has several social media platforms dedicated to their news. Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook provide several outlets for the Star to deliver news to the citizens of Malaysia. Each social media page provides a different medium for viewers to experience news. Youtube primarily provides short videos about breaking news stories and new COVID-19 updates. Instagram piggybacks on these stories and COVID updates, and reaches about 187,000 followers. Over 1 million people keep up with their Twitter page, which updates almost hourly, and maintains a consistent interaction with their followers. 

The Star extends its media presence through their very own app, which is available in the App Store, and is accessible via GooglePlay and AppGallery. The Star App allows viewers to read the newest stories on the go. The home page is designed in a similar format to the website, keeping readers updated on COVID-19. Across the screen at the top, it reads subsections to click on, allowing readers to choose a specific topic to view. Home, Popular, StarPlus, Nation, Opinion, World, ASEAN+, Business, and Sports are accessible topics for viewers to click on. 

    There is even an option to create your own profile, so you can receive notifications to your favorite news topics. The Star app functions similarly to the News app on Apple products. Each time a story is posted on the app, a notification appears on your phone, giving a brief coverage of the newest release story. 

    While The Star’s coverage is widely accessible and provides a variety of unique topics to viewers, the most interesting topic discussed across all of their platforms was ASEAN+ news. According to

Google, ASEAN stands for ‘Association of Southeast Asian Nations’. Which consists of 10 Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The Star provides specific coverage of ASEAN news and the countries who are members of the economic union. One of the top stories displayed on the ASEAN+ page of The Star covers a topic in the Philippines. The headline reads, “Philippines' Manny Pacquiao to run for president in 2022”. This feature covers the decision of the ex-Philippine boxer turned politician to run for President in 2022. With his popularity from his boxing career and his platform to fight poverty and corruption, Pacquiao is a favorite to win, although there is no guarantee. 

    This in-depth news story about the potential future President of the Philippines demonstrates the versatile and inclusiveness of Malaysia’s most circulated newspaper. 

After analyzing and reviewing The Star, it is evident as to why this newspaper is the most circulated in Malaysia. The Star maintains their agenda across every platform, and values public opinion as well as providing people with breaking news. With daily content and interactive content throughout their social media platforms, The Star relates to their readers in positive and entertaining updates.