The history of English-language newspapers in Singapore before The Straits Times

Before the establishment of The Straits Times in 1845, the earliest English-language newspaper was the Singapore Chronicle, founded in 1824. It was the first newspaper in the settlement and operated until 1837. After the Singapore Chronicle ceased, the Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser became the dominant English-language newspaper, starting publication on 8 October 1835. It was named to reflect the abolition of prior government censorship on publications.

The Singapore Free Press remained the sole English-language paper until The Straits Times was launched, competing with it for over a century. The Straits Times initially struggled to gain subscribers and newsworthy content but distinguished itself by including humour, short stories, and foreign news, leveraging regular steamship mail services.

Thus, the history of English-language newspapers before The Straits Times was marked by the pioneering Singapore Chronicle, followed by the longer-lasting Singapore Free Press, which set the stage for the later success of The Straits Times.