Caribbean Newspapers Close as Social Media Changes How People Get News

Two major Caribbean newspapers have shut down this year as readers increasingly turn to social media for news instead of traditional print publications. The closures of Guyana's Stabroek News and Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday represent a significant loss for independent journalism in the region.

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (AP) — Carlon Augustus, who grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, recalls his grandparents purchasing newspapers every day. The 32-year-old now relies on social media platforms to stay informed about current events.

For Augustus, accessing information immediately drives his news consumption habits.

“Everything is on social media now. Whatever happens today, you don’t have to wait to get the papers tomorrow,” he explained.

Publishers cite changing reader preferences similar to Augustus’s as the main factor behind the closure of two established Caribbean publications this year: Guyana’s Stabroek News and Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday.

Stabroek News published its last print edition on Sunday and ceased online operations. The publication launched in November 1986, one year after its founder received permission from Guyana’s president to establish an independent news organization. Guyana would not hold its first democratic elections in nearly three decades for another six years.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday ceased both print and digital operations in January.

“That is definitely a loss to the country, to our democracy, where particularly in this age of social media, credible professional media houses are needed more than ever,” stated Judy Raymond, who previously served as Newsday’s editor-in-chief.

Caribbean publications, which have documented government corruption, political turmoil, devastating hurricanes and unique human interest stories, have faced difficulties maintaining readership — mirroring challenges affecting print journalism globally — and cannot compete with social media personalities and digital platforms.

The shuttering of these publications particularly impacts the media landscape because both operated independently, providing diverse perspectives while remaining less vulnerable to pressure from advertisers or influential figures, according to Kiran Maharaj, president and cofounder of the Media Institute of the Caribbean.

“You have now a narrowing of that,” she observed.

Stabroek News earned recognition for reliable, unbiased reporting and established editorial standards copied throughout the Caribbean. The publication attracted renowned writers for opinion pieces, including Guyanese poets Martin Carter and Ian McDonald, and provided extensive coverage of the historic October 1992 elections that restored democratic governance.

The newspaper also emerged as a venue for public discourse following years under authoritarian leadership.

“Its letters page provided perhaps the most open and democratic public forum in Guyana,” attorney Christopher Ram wrote in a recent commentary published by the paper.

“Over time that column became something of an informal national meeting place where academics, trade unionists, political figures, public servants, businesspeople and ordinary citizens debated, as equals, matters of public importance.”

Stabroek News held the position as Guyana’s leading newspaper. Three other publications remain in the country: one operates under government control, another maintains close ties to the current administration, and the third recently surveyed website users about their willingness to pay for digital content.

Early Ward, a 76-year-old retired beverage industry manager from Guyana, expressed sadness about Stabroek News ending publication.

“I have been reading newspapers since the 50s and prefer to have one in my hand to hold and to move around with and read anytime,” he shared.

Ward now depends on television and social media for news updates.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday launched in 1993, pledging to serve the most isolated areas of the dual-island nation where two established competitors continue operating: the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian and the Trinidad Express.

The publication attracted working-class readers and quickly gained recognition as reporters broke major stories ahead of competitors and legislators cited its articles during parliamentary sessions.

Newsday distinguished itself through coverage of Tobago, the smaller and less economically developed island, and by highlighting voices of disadvantaged residents, Raymond noted. She led the publication as editor-in-chief from 2017 to 2022.

She described one of her most rewarding responsibilities as assisting people because “they are desperate and officialdom has not helped them and they don’t have anybody else to turn to.”

Caribbean newspapers enjoyed strong financial support and represented social status from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, said journalist Wesley Gibbings, vice president of the Jamaica-based Media Institute of the Caribbean.

“People would be seen walking with a physical copy of newspapers,” he remembered. “It was almost a prestigious thing to be the one with the newspaper.”

Technology companies like Google then began capturing advertising dollars and revenue while using content from traditional news organizations, Gibbings explained.

“The danger signs have been up for a very long time,” he pointed out. “We are in a watershed period right now, and the crashes will continue.”

Daily News Limited, Newsday’s publisher, closed due to multiple simultaneous challenges, according to managing director Grant Taylor, who noted print advertising revenue dropped 75% during the past ten years.

Raymond, who established Newsday’s digital operations in early 2018, suggested the publication “could have worked harder at broadening the revenue stream from online publications.”

Looking back, she questioned whether converting Newsday to an online-only format might have sustained operations. However, citing Loop News, a regional digital news platform that closed last July, she acknowledged that digital-only publishing would not have ensured Newsday’s continuation.

Regarding Stabroek News, ownership reported the government contributed only $7.5 million toward approximately $90 million in outstanding advertising bills from the previous year.

However, the publication clarified that unpaid invoices and reduced government advertising were not primary causes of closure: “Readership patterns have changed dramatically, and fewer readers are willing to purchase printed editions — or even pay for electronic versions.”

In a recent letter to Stabroek News, Lurlene Nestor lamented its closure, “especially during this period of Guyana’s history, where allegations of massive public corruption are rife, coupled with a situation where the nation’s important resources, such as gold and oil, appear to be either corruptly exploited or used as personal political bargaining chips.”

Anand Persaud, Stabroek News’ editor-in-chief, shared similar concerns while expressing pride in the publication’s work.

“We leave at this stage,” he stated, “because we want to make sure our independence is not on the line.”