The Sarawak Tribune was started by a group of Teochew businessmen and former teachers in Sarawak in 1945 at the end of Second World War.

They first published the newspaper in Sibu after permission was obtained from the British Military Administration. However, after six months, it moved to Kuching.

The paper started with a small capital of $50,000 and its major shareholders included an architect and well-known Chinese community leader, the late William Tan Ho Choon (also a former Speaker of Council Negri), the late CP Law, the late Ee Ghim Seng (who was factory manager in the 60s and 70s), the late Ee Ghim Yam (who started as an accounts clerk to become its accountant and later general manager) and another well-known Teochew Goh Kheng Ley.

The paper was at first called Sarawak Times but changed its name to Sarawak Tribune when it moved to Kuching. The first editor was the late Dennis Law Qui Piak, a Teochew and former teacher.

In the late 70s, a bumiputera group linked to the then Chief Minister Tun Rahman Yakub gained majority control of the newspaper company, and in the late 80s ownership again changed hands to a different bumiputera group linked to the present Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Two large shareholders

The group has two large shareholders, one a Sibu-based timber group linked to Naim Cendera chairperson Hamid Sepawi, and the other to Taib's daughter Jamilah who between them control about 85% of the total equity.

The Sarawak Press Sdn Bhd also owns the Bahasa Malaysia paper Utusan Sarawak and holds 30% shares in the United Daily News (formerly known as the Chinese Daily News ).

The Sarawak Tribune and Utusan Sarawak are known for its close links to leaders of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) which is headed by Taib and often regarded as a PBB mouthpiece and takes a visibly strong pro-government stance.

It has an audited circulation of 30,000 and is the main source of revenue for the newspaper group with advertising and sales revenue of about RM1 million monthly.