Sin Chew issues apology over misprinted national flag

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Local Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily has apologised for publishing a front-page image of the Malaysian flag, Jalur Gemilang, without its crescent moon. The image was part of its 15 April 2025 edition, which covered the arrival of China president Xi Jinping in Malaysia, marking his second official trip to the country in 12 years.

The image featured a symbolic boat carrying the supposed Malaysian flag and Chinese national flag, which was meant to be a celebration of Malaysia-China ties. The image was set beside a poem about the two nation's cooperation. The crescent moon, which was missing from the flag, is a significant emblem of the nation's Islamic roots.

The publication said in its apology, that the mistake was due to a "technical error" that was accidental. It added that the digital version of its newspapers for 15 April have been amended with the corrected image, and it will be publishing a correction on its print version today (16 April).

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"We are deeply regretful and disappointed over the mistake, and on behalf of all the staff at Sin Chew Daily, we apologise to all Malaysians," the apology read.

Public backlash against the error

The erroneous publication drew in backlash, with netizens sharing the image of the newsprint across social media. According to checks by A+M on Facebook, many called for police reports to be filed, and some even shared letter structures for members of the public to send petitions to the Yang DiPertuan Agong (King of Malaysia).

Some called the daily out for insulting and disrespecting the Jalur Gemilang. One user also said that Sin Chew's apology which called the crescent moon an "anak bulan" hurt their feelings, as it is a symbol of Islam.

Redditors on the r/Malaysia and r/trulymalaysians thread also bashed Sin Chew's mistake, expressing their annoyance at it. Some also mentioned that the news of Xi's arrival was splashed across the front page, leaving news of the death of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the fifth prime minister of Malaysia down at the bottom right corner of the page.

The conversations on Reddit mainly boiled down to allegations that artificial intelligence (AI) was used to create the image. Some questioned why the image slipped past the publication's editors, even if it was AI-generated. However, Sin Chew has not mentioned if the image was AI-generated or not.

According to checks by A+M on Sin Chew's e-print site, the changes have been reflected on its digital publication as promised in the daily's apology.

Sin Chew Daily, formerly known as Sin Chew Jit Poh, which was founded by Aw Boon Par and Aw Boon Haw in 1929, about 96 years ago. It was one of the best-selling Chinese newspapers in Malaysia around the 90s.

The other publications under Sin Chew Media Group include Guang Ming Daily, Cahaya Sin Chew, Sinaran Sin Chew, Eye Asia and more. The group is a subsidiary of Media Chinese International Limited, which also owns Malaysia's other Chinese-language news company, Nanyang Press Holdings.

Back in 1995, Sin Chew had also issued an apology for publishing a doctored photo which removed Anwar Ibrahim, who was imprisoned at the time. According to a BBC archive, Anwar was removed from a line-up of Barisan Nasional leaders and replaced with Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who was the deputy PM then. The photo was reportedly doctored, leading to an apology by Sin Chew which admitted that the "updating" of the photo was a violation of the cardinal principle of journalism.

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