The ''Borneo Bulletin'' is a daily
English-language newspaper in
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
. It is published by
Brunei Press
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by the ...
, which also publishes a
Malay-language daily, ''
Media Permata
''Media Permata'' is a Malay-language newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Brunei by Brunei Press Sdn Bhd,Lyna Mohamad. which also publishes the ''Borneo Bulletin
The ''Borneo Bulletin'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Brunei. ...
''. The ''Bulletin'' circulates around 20,000 copies on weekdays and 25,000 copies on Saturday and Sunday. The Borneo Bulletin is a main source of information on local, regional and foreign affairs, as well as business news. Detailed stock market reports of the Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and regional stock exchanges are carried for the benefit of Bruneian businessmen and investors. In addition to the more serious news, the newspaper carries sports, lifestyle and leisure pages.
[History of the Borneo Bulletin](_blank)
History
The paper was first published in 1953 as a weekly community newspaper for
expatriate
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
s in Brunei. Its founders were two Englishmen, William Frederick Runagall and Geoffrey Weir Kerr. Runagall left his publishing business in Singapore (The Craftsman Press) to set up the Brunei Press in Kuala Belait, Brunei. Kerr was at that time the Shell Oil Company information director based in Seria, Brunei. The Borneo Bulletin consisted of 12 pages and had a circulation of 3,500 copies. In 1959, the paper was sold to the ''
Straits Times
''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establish ...
'' of Singapore.
The paper was expanded over the years to include over 40 pages of content and advertising. It was published on a Friday.
In 1985,
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
's first public-listed company, QAF, took over part of the shares of Brunei Press from the Straits Times. In September 1990, QAF acquired full ownership and the ''Borneo Bulletin'' became a daily (Monday - Saturday) paper.
In 1991, it added its ''Sunday'' edition and thus became a true daily paper.
The paper launched an
online version in the mid-1990s. Quite a few articles are available for free, but the ability to read past issues of the newspaper is hidden behind a subscription paywall.
Contents and sections
There are seven main sections to the newspaper - Local News, Borneo News, Regional News, World News, Financial, Classified and Sports. With the exception of local news and some Borneo news, most of the other sections contains reports from other international news services. International News services used include
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
,
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
(AP),
Agence France Presse
Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency.
AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D. ...
(AFP)
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (dpa) is a German news agency founded in 1949. Based in Hamburg, it has grown to be a major worldwide operation serving print media, radio, television, online, mobile phones, and national news agencies. News is ava ...
(dpa),
Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
,
Bernama
The Malaysian National News Agency ( ms, Pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia), is a news agency of the government of Malaysia. It is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia. Bernama (usually stylized in all caps) ...
, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' and ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''.
There are occasional analysis and special reports covering a wide array of topics which are mostly obtained from overseas news services. The newspaper practices self-censorship in its choice of topics to avoid angering the
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
government.
However, letters to the editor often included comments critical of the government's handling of certain social, economic, and environmental issues. On occasion the government responded to public opinion on topics concerning social or environmental problems.
Country Report: Brunei, US Department of State - retrieved 22-05-07
/ref>
See also
* Media of Brunei
The mass media in Brunei are strictly controlled by the government under Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, which has effectively imposed martial law in the country since the Brunei Revolt of 1962. News coverage consists of police-beat reporting, lifestyl ...
References
External links
* {{official, http://www.borneobulletin.com.bn/
*
Weekend Borneo Bulletin
*
Sunday Borneo Bulletin
Newspapers published in Brunei
English-language newspapers published in Asia
1953 establishments in Asia