The oldest and longest-running news publications are those put out by the Government Information Service. This goes back to the late colonial period when the administration brought out a regular newsheet for national circulation. This was progressively upgraded until 1975 when it was decided to turn it into a weekly newspaper called The Solomons News Drum (PMB Doc 415). This was run as a general newspaper for over seven years from January 1975 until mid-1982 when it was taken over by five Solomon Islanders, renamed the Solomon Star, and run as a private newspaper. The Government Information Service has continued to publish its own newsheet (changing the name at regular intervals), using it to provide information on major policy changes, report meetings of the National Parliament, report national and provincial elections, trace developments in the public sector, cover all the main events in the political and vice-regal year, and generally provide a useful public relations outlet for whichever government is in power. (Ian Frazer, Pambu, Vol.5, No.5, May 1997)

Jul 1955-Dec 1974. Irregular in 1955-56; monthly, 1957-1963; fortnightly, 1964-1974. Includes BSI News [Magazine], Nos.1,3-6,8-11, Aug 1963-Jun 1964. See Finding aids for details.