Up Media

Up Media (Chinese: 上報) is a Taiwanese online news outlet established in 2016 that primarily focuses on in-depth reporting and interviews related to politics. It also covers esports news and hosts the Major Six [zh] tournament.

Up Media

Type	Online-only news
Founder(s)	Ma Yung-cheng [zh]
Editor-in-chief	Shieh Chung-liang
Founded	15 July 2016; 9 years ago (15 July 2016)
Language	Chinese
Website	www.upmedia.mg

History

In early 2016, former politician Ma Yung-cheng [zh] decided to leave politics and began discussions with his friends, journalists Wang Chien-chuang [zh] and Shieh Chung-liang, about the possibility of founding a media outlet together.^[1] On 15 July, Up Media was established with an investment ranging from NTD$150 to 200 million,^[2] funded by four entrepreneurs.^[1] ETtoday reported that the investors were primarily from the Pan-Green Coalition,^[3] while Want China Times noted that entrepreneur Chang Ya-li was one of the major shareholders, having invested over NTD$20 million in the startup.^[4] Wang Chien-chuang served as Up Media's managing director, and Shieh Chung-liang took on the role of chief editor.^[5] The outlet did not appoint a president, and Ma held the position of vice president.^[5] The founding editorial team consisted of 40 staff members, headquartered on Chang'an East Road in the Zhongshan District, Taipei.^[2]

Due to his connections with the Pan-Green Coalition, Ma stated in an interview with TVBS that he would not interfere in editorial decisions and would primarily oversee management and marketing affairs.^[1] Up Media focused on in-depth reporting and interviews, avoiding instant news coverage.^[5][6] Shieh explained that this decision was made to steer clear of clickbait and sensationalism, opting instead for a traditional journalism approach.^[6] He also brought some editorial staff from his previous employer The Storm Media to join Up Media.^[7]

In October 2016, Up Media began collaborating with video game companies and organized esports competitions, starting with the Third Major Six [zh], a League of Legends tournament.^[7] A new column for gaming and esports news was launched alongside the political pieces, with Shieh crediting this new area as a significant source of revenue for the media outlet,^[7] and Up Media continued to host the Major Six annually.^[8] In August 2017, Up Media announced their collaboration with Project Syndicate, publishing translated articles from it.^[9] Before 2018, Hu Hong-ren [zh] became Up Media's president.^[10] In August 2020, Ma Yung-cheng resigned from Up Media.^[11]

In October 2018, an Up Media editorial commenting 2018 Taiwanese local elections won the News Commentary Award at the Excellent Journalism Awards [zh].^[12] In October 2024, a commentary for William Lai's inauguration was nominated for another News Commentary Award.^[13] In addition, Wang Chien-chuang won the Outstanding Contribution Award in Journalism in October 2020.^[14]