Warta Perak, The First Malay Newspaper in Jawi Script in Ipoh
It was difficult for newspaper publishing companies to survive during World War II, yet some local newspapers managed to continue operating and distributing their papers, such as Sardara, Warta Malaya, and Majlis, which were well-known and popular in most towns across Malaya at the time.
Although they were sold in most towns in Malaya, their news content was limited and not comprehensive due to a lack of news sources. Consequently, newspapers were established to serve only their respective towns, such as Lidah Benar (Klang), Fajar Sarawak (Sarawak), Panji-panji Melayu (Muar), Ketok-Ketok (Kota Bharu), Nun (Alor Setar), Suara Benar (Melaka), and Chahaya Malaya (Alor Setar). On February 6, 1937, it was Ipoh's turn to have its own newspaper with the publication of a trial issue known as Warta Perak, with its first official edition released on March 13, 1937. Warta Perak was a newspaper for the town of Ipoh, published and edited by Ahmad Noor Abdul Shukoor, who lived on Hugh Low Street, Ipoh. Ahmad Noor had also previously published the magazine Sinar Malaya in 1931 and had served as an editor for Saudara, Sahabat, Warta Kinta, and Suara Rakyat. He was assisted by Abdul Rahman Al-Ayubi and Zulkifli Abu Samah, who began working for Warta Perak in May 1937.
The Warta Perak newspaper was published every ten days, or three times a month. They used the slogans "Leading Malay Newspaper in Perak" and "General Newspaper for Social Interaction and Unity". Warta Perak published content in the form of news and general articles. The sections included international news as well as news from around the state of Perak. The newspaper's categories were mixed, as there were no specific sections like those we see in newspapers today. Examples of content in Warta Perak included general articles, a youth page, youth knowledge, a satirical column, and matters concerning the Islamic world. It was typically printed in 16 pages and sold to the public for 10 cents per copy. The advertising rates set by the publisher were RM20 per month for a full page or RM12 for a half page. This newspaper only managed to survive for 6 months due to capital shortages faced by the publisher.
