Sixth Tone
Editor-in-chief | Ting Wu |
---|---|
Publisher | Shanghai United Media Group |
Founded | 2016 |
Based in | Shanghai, China |
Language | English |
Website | www |
Sixth Tone is a state-owned English-language online magazine published by Shanghai United Media Group.[1][2]
Name
Sixth Tone's name relates to the number of tones in Mandarin Chinese, but also is stated to carry more metaphorical meaning as well. Mandarin Chinese has four active tones and a fifth dropped tone that has less prominence than the other four. Because of the language's five tones, the publication's name refers to an ideal of expanding beyond traditionally-reported items in Anglophone media, making it the "sixth tone".[3]
History
The online magazine began publication on April 6, 2016, with an investment of US$4.5 million from the Shanghai United Media Group.
By 2018, Western media began to cite Sixth Tone in news reports.
In 2023, the publication had new management installed following repeated attacks by nationalists on Weibo.[4]
Reception
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, writing for Foreign Policy, stated that Sixth Tone has a less staid and "saccharine" tone compared to many other English-language publications from China.[1] She stated, "If webby U.S. media startup Vox were acquired by the Chinese Communist Party, it might resemble Sixth Tone".[1]
In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, the then-editor-in-chief, Wei Xing, sought to differentiate his magazine from other Chinese English-language publications. Wei stated that compared to other government-owned news publications, Sixth Tone would have an easier time growing since it "lacks a politics-saturated bureaucracy because it is a start-up".[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (2016-06-03). "China, Explained". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ .
- ^ Cheung, Rachel (2024-02-26). "Tone Deaf". The Wire China. Retrieved 2024-02-28.