Asia Sentinel

Asia Sentinel was created to provide a platform for news, analysis, and opinion on national and regional issues in Asia. It is independent of all governments and major media enterprises. It has twice won the top award for investigative and interpretive reporting from the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), Asia’s version of the Pulitzer Prize and it is highly respected in the business, economics and diplomatic communities across the region (see our winning stories in 2013 and in 2014).

The website is open to contributions not only from journalists but from professionals in fields such as finance, diplomacy, science, and the arts. It has no ideology other than a belief in the benefits of a free media. It will not publish editorials but give free rein to diverse opinions.

The founders believe that with the retrenchments in recent years of regional weekly and daily print publications, there is a need and demand for such a site. They also believe that internet publishing is now beginning to become a commercial proposition and that Asia Sentinel can become a self-sustaining site.

Prior to July 21, 2017, the board of directors of Asia Sentinel Ltd. agreed to allow Asia Sentinel Ltd. to become dormant in Hong Kong and to transfer that company’s assets and cash to Asia Sentinel Media LLC. The new entity was registered with the California Secretary of State on that date and Asia Sentinel Ltd of Hong Kong then ceased to carry on business. All stories written after that point are property of the new entity.

The editors will impose no writing formulas but will edit solely for clarity, brevity, and accuracy.

Who we are

• John Berthelsen, Editor– Formerly managing editor of The Standard newspaper in Hong Kong, Berthelsen was also a correspondent for Newsweek Magazine during the Vietnam War, the Asian Wall Street Journal, and the Sacramento Bee. He has lived in and reported from five different countries in Asia.

• Philip Bowring, Consultant Editor– A 30-year resident of the region, Bowring is Asia commentator for a long list of publications and the author of several books. he is the former editor of The Far Eastern Economic Review.

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.