The Borneo Post, established in 1978, is the largest and widely circulated English-language daily newspaper in East Malaysia and also the alternately circulated newspaper in Brunei (as a strong competitor to the main existing newspapers of Pelita Brunei, Borneo Bulletin and also Media Permata, to a lesser extent, the now-defunct Brunei Times).[3] The newspaper is the first English newspaper in East Malaysia to use photo-composition for type-setting and printing was done in offset as against the old-fashioned letterpress.[1]
Front page on 22 August 2009 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Berliner |
| Publisher | Borneo Post Sdn Bhd |
| Founded | 24 April 1978[1] |
| Political alignment | Gabungan Parti Sarawak and also Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (unofficial) |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | KTS Crown Towers, Lot No. 88, Jalan Pending, 93450 Kuching, Sarawak |
| City | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Circulation | 65,990 (daily) 22,971 (Sabah version) 70,073 (The Sunday Post) (as of January–June 2015)[2] |
| Sister newspapers | Utusan Borneo See Hua Daily News |
| OCLC number | 488800331 |
| Website | theborneopost |
Overview
editThe first issue of The Borneo Post was circulated on 24 April 1978 and the newspaper is the brainchild of the late Datuk Lau Hui Siong, while its name was given by the late Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew, the former Sibu MP and federal deputy transport minister as well as former federal deputy housing minister cum one-time chairperson of the Sibu Municipal Council. Although The Borneo Post is today headquartered in Crown Towers, Kuching, the paper first began in the timber industry town of Sibu. The newspaper's expansion began firstly in the state capital city of Kuching on 29 October 1979 and later in 1986 to the oil-producing hub of Miri and the neighbouring state of Sabah as well as the Federal Territory of Labuan and Brunei Darussalam, made The Borneo Post, the most widely distributed English newspaper in Borneo (East Malaysia and Brunei).[1] In 2007, the news portal website was launched to capture a larger pool of younger readers. The newspaper has around five to seven printing plants located throughout Sarawak, Labuan as well as Sabah.[3] As of April 2023, the newspaper is printed daily in Kuching, Sibu and Miri in Sarawak, whilst in Sabah and the island federal territory of Labuan, it is printed in Kota Kinabalu as well as in Sandakan, Tawau, Labuan and also Lahad Datu and the newspaper is also widely circulated in the independent state of Brunei Darussalam.[1][4]
Circulation
editAudited circulation figures by Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia for January–June 2015, the newspaper is the highest circulated English newspaper in Sarawak, with a circulation of 65,990 (daily) and 70,073 (the Sunday Post).[2] For the same period, the Sabah edition of the newspaper reached a circulation of 22,971 copies.[5]
Sister publications
editIn 1986, The Borneo Post incorporated a Bahasa Malaysia section which this was later expanded into a full-fledged newspaper – Utusan Borneo (it is a separate newspaper in Sarawak but a short-lived publication cum pull-out page for the Sabah edition).[1] The Borneo Post has two sister publications; Utusan Borneo and See Hua Daily News.[3]
Utusan Borneo
editUtusan Borneo is a Malay-Iban (for the Sabah edition, it is bilingual in Malay and Kadazan-Dusun language) newspaper published by Harian Borneo Post Sdn Bhd.[6] Based on audited circulation figures by Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia for January–June 2015, daily circulation for the Utusan Borneo (Sarawak) of 36,251 copies in Sarawak.[2] It is the highest circulated Malay newspaper in Sarawak and one of the top circulating local newspapers in Sabah (but now it is a pull-out section of the Sabah edition of The Borneo Post paper since 2020).
Features
edit- The Borneo Post Seeds - a section to cater issues related to youth readers.
- BAT5 - Borneo Post Adventure Team. The team travels across Sarawak and share with the readers on interesting places that they have encountered.
Reception
editIn June 2018, Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2018 ranked The Borneo Post third in terms of brand trust of users of the brand behind first placed Astro Awani and international news website Yahoo! News.[7] A 2020 Reuters Institute poll found that 47% of Malaysian respondents trusted reporting from The Borneo Post - the seventh highest out of the 14 media outlets surveyed.[8]
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Special Award for Loyal Bernama Customers (Media) | "The Borneo Post" | Won[9] | |
| 2019 | Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Media Awards | Print Media and News Portal | A four-part-feature on the Papar Dam[a] by Neil Brian Joseph | Second Place[10]
|
| "Mediation usually suggested in construction disputes" by Mariah Airiens Doksil | Third Place[10]
| |||
| 2024 | Kinabalu Press Awards
|
Entertainment, Culture and Arts Reporting Award (English) | Sabahan tells stories through art by Mariah Airiens Doksil | Won[11] |
| Sports Journalism Award (English) | A glimpse of Japanese martial arts and culture by Elton Aaron Gomes | Won[11] |
- ^ Four-part feature titled "RM170 to address NRW", "Amicable solution to address environmentalists' concerns on proposed Papar Dam", "Dams have to be built" and "Papar Dam to supply water, power to West Coast".
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Boon, Peter (24 April 2023). "The Borneo Post turns 45 years old today!". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Geographical Distribution - Sarawak" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia. 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ a b c "The Borneo Post". Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia. 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Advertisement Rates" (PDF). Lins Ad. January 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "Geographical Distribution - Sabah" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia. 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Utusan Borneo". Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia. 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Readers rank The Borneo Post third for trustworthiness". The Borneo Post. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020 (PDF). University of Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. p. 99.
- ^ "The Borneo Post, See Hua Daily News receive award". The Borneo Post. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- ^ a b "CIDB Recognises 12 Media Practitioners In Sabah For Construction Sector Reporting" (PDF). CIDB Malaysia. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Kinabalu Press Awards: KTS Group wins two main, six merit awards". The Borneo Post. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.