Jack Ma, chairman of the Internet giant Alibaba Group, is in talks to buy The South China Morning Post, an influential English-language newspaper based in Hong Kong, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions.
A deal would echo the purchase of The Washington Post by Amazon's founder, Jeffrey P. Bezos, in 2013, which gave a major media brand substantial backing at a turbulent time for the business.
Like Mr. Bezos, Alibaba's founder, Mr. Ma, made his fortune in Internet commerce.
Like The Washington Post, The South China Morning Post is struggling to adapt to the changing media environment.
And in neither case does the purchase create obvious business advantages for the buyer.
It has not yet been decided whether the buyer would be Mr. Ma or Alibaba, the person said on Tuesday.