自由時報

The ''Liberty Times'' is a national newspaper published in Taiwan. Founded by Lin Rong-San, it is published by the Liberty Times Group. The newspaper was first published on 17 April 1980, as Liberty Daily, before adopting its current name in 1987. In 1999, they launched their English language version, the ''Taipei Times''.

It is one of the four most influential newspapers in Taiwan, the other three being the ''Apple Daily'', the ''China Times'', and the ''United Daily News''. While the ''United Daily News'' is regarded as taking an editorial line that supports a Pan-Blue political stance, the ''Liberty Times'' is thought to take a Pan-Green pro-independence political stance.

History

Early history

In 1946, the Three Principles of the People Youth League established a newspaper in Taitung, called ''Taitung Daobao''. Initially on the verge of closure in 1948, it was taken over by Chen Zhen-zong and renamed ''Taitung Xinbao'', becoming the first newspaper in eastern Taiwan. However, due to insufficient funding, the publication ceased in October 1950. It resumed operations in July 1952 and was later privatised by Wu A-ming in early 1961, eventually relocating to Changhua and rebranding as the ''Ziqiang Ribao''.

Foundation and early development

The ''Liberty Daily'' was founded in April 1980 by Lin Rong-San, following his acquisition of ''Ziqiang Ribao'' for 40 million NT dollars. Despite significant investment, the paper initially suffered monthly losses of around 20 million NT.

To establish itself in the market, ''Liberty Daily'' dramatically reduced the price of small ads from 35 NT to 5 NT, attracting advertisements and filling a gap left by larger newspapers due to limited space. The paper also capitalised on the rise of lotteries, publishing columns that predicted winning numbers, which not only boosted readership but also significantly increased revenue from small ads related to lotteries. This strategy helped the paper balance its finances, with circulation rising from 30,000 to 40,000 copies and monthly ad revenue exceeding a million NT.

Government measures later restricted the paper's lottery-related content, leading to a decline in circulation and advertising revenue. In 1986, ''Liberty Daily'' relocated to Taipei and underwent a major reform, shifting its focus towards promoting "Taiwan" over the "Republic of China" and prioritising local perspectives, with the slogan "Taiwan above all, priority to freedom."

Post-media control era

In 1988, Taiwan lifted media controls, and ''Liberty Daily'' was rebranded as ''Liberty Times''. Immediately following the liberalisation, the ''United Daily News'' and the ''China Times'' faced a steep decline in sales after raising their prices. In contrast, ''Liberty Daily'', which kept its price at NT$10, saw its readership surge from 14.2% to 21.7%. The paper adopted an aggressive distribution policy, including recruiting employees from the ''United Daily News'' and the ''China Times'' distribution networks by offering better pay.

The paper experienced rapid growth, with circulation increasing from 185,000 in 1988 to over a million by 1996, becoming Taiwan's most popular newspaper. On June 15, 1999, Lin launched the ''Taipei Times'', an English-language daily, establishing the Liberty Times group. After 1996, ''Liberty Times'' remained the leading Taiwanese daily, but from 1999 onwards, its readership began to erode. Additionally, its advertising revenue remained smaller than that of its competitors: in 2001, it accounted for 18% of the market, compared to 25% for ''United Daily News'' and 24% for ''China Times''.

In 2003, the launch of ''Apple Daily'' in Taiwan shook the existing newspaper landscape, quickly attracting a significant readership. However, ''Liberty Times'' retained its position as the leading newspaper, with a readership of 19.1%. By 2009, it had become the second most popular newspaper after Apple Daily, with a readership of 25%.

Political positions

The ''Liberty Times'' has been notably partisan, at times opportunistically aligning with the prevailing political forces. In 2000, it supported the Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Lien Chan, but by 2004, it shifted its support to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s candidate, Chen Shui-bian. The ''Liberty Times'' developed strong connections with the newly elected DPP government after 2000, effectively transitioning from backing the liberal faction of the KMT to supporting the DPP. Meanwhile, its chief competitors, ''United Daily News'' and ''China Times'', faced growing commercial pressure to increase their coverage of issues important to the increasingly assertive pro-independence movement.

Since 2008, the newspaper has consistently supported the DPP and its agenda to promote the Taiwan identity. In a survey published in 2022, the newspaper was believed to support the Pan-Green Coalition and had a China-critical leaning. It is regarded as a major propaganda outlet of hardline Taiwan independence activists, which also criticised even the moderate policies of President Tsai Ing-wen from the DPP.

Reputation

In 2024, a survey conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that 41% of respondents trusted the ''Liberty Times'', while 25% expressed distrust. In comparison, the most trusted media outlets garnered 59% trust, whereas the least trusted had a trust level of 38%.

Awards and recognitions

See also

* ''Taipei Times''
* Media in Taiwan

References

External links

*

{{Newspapers in Taiwan

Chinese-language newspapers (Traditional Chinese)
Newspapers published in Taiwan
Newspapers established in 1980
Mass media in Taipei
1980 establishments in Taiwan