The paper was published as a replacement for Sinar Harapan, which had been shut down on 9 October 1986 for making political commentary critical of the New Order regime.

[3] Suara Pembaruan remains in publication, even after some staff were leaving the paper to revive Sinar Harapan in 2001.

In a release by BeritaSatu Media Holdings on January 21, 2021, Suara Pembaruan will ceased publication starting on 1 February 2021, citing "digital technology that change people's behavior in obtaining information".

However, Suara Pembaruan brand would be retained and "would return to the public one day in a different format in line with the information technology development".

[6][7] David Hill describes Suara Pembaruan's management as being commercially pragmatic and politically cautious, with marketing focused on the secular middle class.