New Evening Post relaunched to back Beijing loyalists in election

Today's relaunch of the New Evening Post - a pro-Beijing newspaper that closed in 1997 - as a free evening publication appears to be an attempt to win support for Beijing loyalists in next month's Legislative Council election, a political scientist says.

"The newspaper will surely have an influence on the election, as electioneering is at its peak," City University's Dr Sung Lap-kung said. "It is likely to give more voice to the government and the pro-establishment camp."

Some 400,000 copies of the Chinese-language tabloid, affiliated to the pro-Beijing Ta Kung Poa, will be given out at 100 distribution points, including MTR stations, from 5pm to 7pm every weekday. A spokesman for the newspaper said it would run stories on issues that affect people's livelihoods.

"I guess the newspaper will tilt towards positive stories, thus ushering in a more harmonious society," Sung said. "Such an environment will prompt indecisive electors to vote for the pro-establishment camp."

But Baptist University journalism academic To Yiu-ming said August was normally considered a poor month to launch a newspaper. "Students usually take up a significant proportion of a free newspapers' readership. Launching it in the summer holidays obviously means the paper doesn't target them," he said.

The tabloid will become the city's only evening paper, after Sharp Daily, a free newspaper set up by Apple Daily publisher Next Media, dropped its evening edition in March.