The Fookien Times
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | The Fookien Times Company, Inc. (closed in 1972; later reestablished as The Fookien Times Yearbook Publishing Company, Inc.) |
| Publisher | James Go Puan Seng |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Political alignment | Independent |
| Language | Chinese |
| Ceased publication | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Binondo, Manila, Philippines |
The Fookien Times (Chinese: 新閩日報; pinyin: Xīnmǐn Rìbào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin-bân Ji̍t-pò, lit. "New Fujian Times") was a daily broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines written in the Chinese language. Founded by Dee C. Chuan in 1926, it was once the Philippines' largest Chinese-language newspaper in terms of circulation.
Although the newspaper itself was shut down in 1972 by Ferdinand Marcos with the imposition of martial law, some of its facilities were later used for the publishing of campaign materials during the People Power Revolution, and it continues to print until today the better-known Fookien Times Philippines Yearbook, one of the Philippines' longest-running publications.
The Fookien Times was established by Dee C. Chuan in February 1926, originally targeting Chinese migrants to the Philippines from Fujian. In its early history, the newspaper was concerned with raising money for flood relief in Fujian through the "Save Fujian Hometown Campaign", which had been ravaged by flooding in 1925 and 1926. In contrast to newspapers like the Chinese Commercial News, which Dee established earlier as a newspaper for the Chinese Filipino merchant class and the political issues in the Philippines concerning them, the founding of the Fookien Times was motivated by major events in mainland China rather than happenings in the Philippines.
Dee founded the newspaper along with James Go Puan Seng (Chinese: 吳半生; pinyin: Wú Bànshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gô͘ Pòaⁿ-seng), a twenty-year old reporter and editor for the Kong Li Po (公理報) who was appointed the newspaper's editor and general manager. Go would rise through the ranks of the Fookien Times, later becoming the newspaper's editor-in-chief and, ultimately, its co-publisher. In 1929, the newspaper was sued for libel by two prominent community leaders after they were implicated in the abuse of a young Cantonese girl sold as a slave — Go was initially sentenced to two months' imprisonment and the payment of a ₱300 fine, but the case was later overturned by the Supreme Court and it later became the groundwork for contemporary legislation on libel in the Philippines.
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