Malaysia news, front pages compared
Crosswire tracks 6 major Malaysia news outlets. Preview their homepages side by side below — switch between two, three and four columns, go compact, or translate every page into your language.
The Malaysia media landscape on Crosswire
Crosswire lays Malaysia's front pages next to one another so you can see which stories lead where, how headlines are framed, and what one outlet foregrounds that another leaves out. All 6 titles tracked in Malaysia sit near the editorial centre in our classification, which is common where the press is dominated by public broadcasters and agencies, or where no confident left/right rating was available. Comparison here is less about political line than about which stories each newsroom judges worth the top of the page.
By kind of outlet, the 6 titles break down as 2 digital-native outlets (Free Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini), 2 daily newspapers (The Star and New Straits Times), 1 news portal (Malay Mail) and 1 television news channel (Astro Awani). Crosswire lists no public-service broadcaster for Malaysia, so the fixed point in a comparison has to be a wire service or the most widely read daily instead.
Malaysia sits in Southeast Asia, on Crosswire's Asia hub. By outlets tracked it is 2nd of the 11 countries in Southeast Asia and 6th of the 33 across Asia, where the average is 5.1 outlets per country. Its neighbours in Southeast Asia with hubs of their own are Indonesia (6), Thailand (6), Singapore (6), Philippines (6), Vietnam (6), Myanmar (6), Cambodia (5), Laos (5), Brunei (5) and Timor-Leste (3).
Leaning groupings are approximate guides drawn from widely cited media-bias assessments — see the methodology and what the labels can and can't tell you. Counts are taken from the directory as of .
Which are Malaysia's main news outlets?
Across Malaysia's editorial spectrum, Crosswire currently lists near the center, The Star, New Straits Times, Malay Mail, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini and Astro Awani. Each outlet below links to a full profile — its facts, editorial leaning and a live front-page preview — and the comparison view above shows any of them side by side.
The Star is one of Malaysia's most widely read English-language daily newspapers, based in Petaling Jaya. It covers national news, politics, business, and lifestyle for a broad Malaysian readership and maintains print and digital editions. It is among the country's leading English-language press titles.
The New Straits Times is one of Malaysia's oldest English-language daily newspapers, based in Kuala Lumpur. It provides national news, politics, business, and current affairs to an English-speaking readership and operates print and digital editions. It is among the country's principal English-language newspapers.
Malay Mail is a Malaysian English-language news outlet with a long history as a newspaper that later became digital-focused. It covers national politics, business, lifestyle, and current affairs for a general Malaysian audience. It is among the country's established English-language news sources.
Free Malaysia Today is an independent English- and Malay-language online news outlet in Malaysia. It covers national politics, current affairs, and social issues, and is known as a digital-native source of news and commentary. It serves a broad Malaysian readership interested in independent reporting.
Malaysiakini is an independent, subscription-supported news site founded in 1999, publishing in Malay, English, Chinese, and Tamil. One of Malaysia's most influential digital outlets, it built its reputation on reporting free of the political-party ownership ties that shaped the country's traditional press, and has repeatedly faced legal and regulatory pressure over its coverage.
Astro Awani is Malaysia's leading 24-hour Malay-language news channel, operated by Astro Malaysia Holdings, the country's dominant pay-television provider. On air since 2007, it delivers rolling coverage of national politics, business, and regional affairs, and its website and social platforms make it one of the most-followed broadcast news brands in Malaysia.
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