Media of Brunei
Encyclopedia
The media of 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, lifestyle features and community events, with little in the way of diverse viewpoints. Reporters Without Borders
reports there is "virtually no criticism of the government". The liberal democracy watchdog Freedom House
lists Brunei's media as "not free".
The privately owned press, Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, publisher of the Borneo Bulletin, is controlled by the sultan's family. Reporters and editors exercise self-censorship on political and religious matters.
A press law provides prison terms of up to three years for reporting "false news".
Foreign newspapers are also widely circulate in Brunei, including the Borneo Post
and New Straits Times
from Malaysia, the The Straits Times
from Singapore
and the International Herald Tribune
.
and television
in Brunei comes under the auspices of the national broadcaster, Radio Television Brunei
(RTB) and KRISTALfm, the country's only commercial radio station which ended the monopoly of radio in 1999. Foreign programming is also available via cable
and satellite
. For example, the Malaysian TV satellite service, Astro, is currently also available in Brunei under the brand Kristal-Astro
.
use in Brunei, through Freedom House reports a local forum, BruneiTalk, was blocked in 2003 after contributors discussed the business dealings of senior officials. As of June 2006, it appeared the site was attempting to move to a different server
.
Politics of Brunei
The politics of Brunei take place in a framework of an absolute monarchy, whereby the Sultan of Brunei is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government...
under Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah
General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...
, which has effectively imposed martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in the country since the Brunei Revolt
Brunei Revolt
The Brunei Rebellion broke out on 8 December 1962. The rebels began co-ordinated attacks on the oil town of Seria and on police stations and government facilities around the protectorate...
of 1962. News coverage consists of police-beat reporting, lifestyle features and community events, with little in the way of diverse viewpoints. Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
reports there is "virtually no criticism of the government". The liberal democracy watchdog Freedom House
Freedom House
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
lists Brunei's media as "not free".
The privately owned press, Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, publisher of the Borneo Bulletin, is controlled by the sultan's family. Reporters and editors exercise self-censorship on political and religious matters.
A press law provides prison terms of up to three years for reporting "false news".
Newspapers
There are four local newspapers in Brunei:- Pelita Brunei - A free bi-weekly Malay-languageMalay languageMalay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
newspaper published by the government's Information Department. Circulation is around 40,000. - Borneo BulletinBorneo BulletinThe Borneo Bulletin is a daily English-language newspaper in Brunei. It is published by Brunei Press, which also publishes a Malay-language daily, Media Permata. The Bulletin circulates around 20,000 copies on weekdays and 25,000 copies on Saturday and Sunday.-History:The paper was first published...
- The sultanate's first English-languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
daily, published by Brunei Press Sdn Bhd. Circulates around 20,000 on weekdays, 25,000 copies on Saturday and Sunday. - Media PermataMedia PermataMedia Permata is a Malay-language newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Brunei by Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, which also publishes the Borneo Bulletin. The Saturday edition features a special 16-page pull out called Suasana, which offers lifestyle and entertainment news....
- The sole Malay-language daily, it's published by Brunei Press Sdn Bhd. Circulation is around 10,000. - The Brunei TimesThe Brunei TimesThe Brunei Times is an independent English-language daily compact broadsheet newspaper published in Brunei Darussalam. It owned by Brunei Times PLC....
- An English-language broadsheet daily started in 2006. It's outlook is more international than the Bulletin, which is focused on community news. It circulates around 10,000 copies.
Foreign newspapers are also widely circulate in Brunei, including the Borneo Post
Borneo Post
The Borneo Post, established in 1978, is the largest English-language daily newspaper on the island of Borneo. It is widely circulated in the Sultanate of Brunei and the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, all on the northern coast of the island. Headquartered in Kuching, it has a current...
and New Straits Times
New Straits Times
The New Straits Times is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print , having been founded as The Straits Times in 1845, and was reestablished as the "New Straits Times" in 1965. The paper served as Malaysia's only broadsheet format English...
from Malaysia, the The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
from Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
.
Broadcasting
Domestic radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in Brunei comes under the auspices of the national broadcaster, Radio Television Brunei
Radio Television Brunei
Radio Televisyen Brunei is the state broadcaster of Brunei. Radio Brunei made its first broadcast on 2 May 1957, with a Television service starting in 1 March 1975...
(RTB) and KRISTALfm, the country's only commercial radio station which ended the monopoly of radio in 1999. Foreign programming is also available via cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
. For example, the Malaysian TV satellite service, Astro, is currently also available in Brunei under the brand Kristal-Astro
Kristal-Astro
Kristal-ASTRO, formed on January 24, 2000, is the sole operator of Brunei's multi-channel pay-television service. The company is a joint-venture between Kristal Sdn Bhd and Malaysia's Astro Malaysia Holdings Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd....
.
Internet
There appears to be no restrictions on InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
use in Brunei, through Freedom House reports a local forum, BruneiTalk, was blocked in 2003 after contributors discussed the business dealings of senior officials. As of June 2006, it appeared the site was attempting to move to a different server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
.
External links
- The Brunei Times
- Brunei Press Sdn Bhd
- Radio Television Brunei
- Brunei Information Department
- Free press report by the Freedom HouseFreedom HouseFreedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...