Leung’s Tianwen Media attracted about 30,000 YouTube subscribers within three days of its launch, according to Leung. The outlet’s video interview with Chan drew 79,000 views in its first 24 hours after posting Sept. 28. Leung plans to focus on long interviews and commentary about local, national and international issues, rather than build a traditional reporting staff.

His departure comes as Sing Tao’s San Francisco editorial team has dwindled. Leung said the newsroom had about 13 reporters in the early 2000s, including three covering investigations, but now has three reporters. The shrinking capacity concerns him as issues affecting the Chinese community grow more complex.

“Three reporters can’t possibly be enough,” Leung said. “Issues in the community are getting more complicated.”

Leung, 64, joined Sing Tao in 1990 as a City Hall reporter, became editor-in-chief in 2002 and publisher in 2017. He said he left because the newspaper’s corporate structure no longer met community needs. Its U.S. Western edition’s budget was set by its parent company, while low salaries made it harder to recruit and keep reporters in an expensive city.

Tianwen will reflect its founder’s perspective. Leung has said his departure gives him more freedom to support Chan, who is running against state Sen. Scott Wiener. He has argued Chinese American representation in Congress is especially important amid federal policies he believes are unfair to Chinese Americans.

That declared preference raises questions about the line between commentary and political advocacy, particularly given Leung’s previous influence at Sing Tao. The newspaper’s coverage and endorsements have mattered in local elections, according to political figures interviewed about its role. Leung said Tianwen will make endorsements, though he has not announced one for the congressional race.

The stakes extend beyond one campaign. At its peak around 2002, Sing Tao’s Western edition circulated about 50,000 copies, Leung said. The paper has long served as a bridge between Chinese- and English-speaking communities, and its endorsements have offered candidates a route to voters who can be difficult to reach through English-language media.

Sing Tao’s U.S. operations were required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act in 2021 because of the Hong Kong-based parent company. Leung said the designation has not changed the newspaper’s coverage, but has damaged its image, added costs and led staff to think twice about reporting on U.S.-China relations. Sing Tao is not considered an agent of the Chinese Communist Party.

Leung said Tianwen will cover the White House, Congress, U.S.-China trade tensions and how San Francisco policies affect Chinese residents. But unlike Sing Tao, it will operate mainly online and appear to rely heavily on Leung himself. Whether it can replace any of the local reporting lost as the newspaper’s newsroom shrank remains an open question.