The announced closure of Stabroek News, which I learn about from a phone call while in Bangalore, comes as a shock to newspaper people like me and other information gathering scholars. I was hoping the report was an error until I was able to access the paper on Sunday morning India time, confirming the sad news. SN has provided invaluable, authentic information to the public for over 39 years. Its closure will be a telling blow to journalism of integrity and objectivity in Guyana and of holding politicians and business companies accountable. The paper is known for editorial independence and credibility.It was fearless and uncompromising even amidst threats, withdrawal and of libel lawsuits. It is also respected for promoting democratic values and good governance.
Since the emergence of social media and its increasing use over the last decade, especially of You Tube, Tik Tok, Facebook, other social media platforms, the public has been moving away from reading hard copies of mass media for news and opinions. The young are into modern world of blogs, social media sites, and streamed sound bites. Traditional mainstream media has been replaced or substituted with hybrid and digitally integrated news models and direct live coverage of event on social media. Readers have been migrating toward digital platforms and away from traditional print newspapers like SN. Social media access has spread like wildfire. Advertising revenues, the cornerstone of the newspaper business, have been in decline over the last decade as advertisers move towards digital publications. Digital platforms offer more targeted and cost-effective news reporting as well as cheaper ads for businesses.
Clearly, journalism as we older demographic knew and studied it, has undergone a major transformation in recent times with the rise of digital media being a major factor. Coincidentally (or a result of) the rise of social media, and direct emails to readers and viewers, publications have lost advertisements, placing media houses under financial challenges. Thousands of newspapers (including the biggest ones like NYT, Washington Post, WSJ, LA Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, London Times, Financial Times, Indian Express, Times of India, The Hindu, among others, magazines (Newsweek, Times, US News, Economist, etc), newsletters, journals or periodicals, etc. have reduced size or shuttered. Rise of digital publications and social media have affected mass publications. Print advertising has lost much of its appeal.The public has moved towards viewership instead of readership.
The reduction of printed news and reading or of viewing ads in printed media has seen the disappearance of publications and decline in journalism. Over 2,000 newspapers closed operations in USA alone, as SN noted. Several Guyanese diaspora publications were also victims. West Indian News, Caribbean New Yorker, Caribbean Contact NY, Daylight, Indo Caribbean World and more have ceased printing. Prior to that, West Indian Graphic, Guyana Graphic, Caribbean Expo Awake (first newspaper) by Dr Vishnu Bandhu, Caribbean Journal, Indo Caribbean Review, Richmond Times from Dr Dhanpaul, Caribbean Newsbeat, Caribbean Link of Dr Tara Singh, Caribbean Indian News of Ram Jodha, closed because of insufficient revenues. I too published a newspaper, Guyana Update, a Guyana newsletter, a Guyana and Indo Caribbean magazine, all of which ceased operations because of lack of funding. Guyana Journal also closed down for same reason. The Caribbean Voice of Annan Boodram switched to digital print. Annan, an outstanding, trained professional journalist, can relate experience of difficulties in funding community publications in NY. Publishing a media is a most difficult and costly operation even if it is a one person voluntary operation to reduce labor costs. It took up a lot of time, energy, and resources with responses of abuse from an unappreciative public. Only a small number of the public understands the amount of work and money that goes into publishing an issue of a paper.
SN and other print media in Guyana have weathered the storm over the last decade serving as a major source of news, views, letters, commentaries, and precious information for readers and researchers as well as foreign investors and government officials. But understandably, revenues cannot meet costs of operations. Management was forced to make tough decisions to reduce operations or close shop. Just last month Newsday Trinidad closed. And now the unfortunate announced closure of Stabroek News.
The country, the region, the diaspora, democrat like myself and colleagues who fought for free and fair elections, have so much to be thankful to SN for serving as a guardian of democracy and for keeping us informed of happenings in Guyana as well as providing major news regionally and globally. We will lose a voice for democracy. When our democracy was threatened, as it was in 1990, 1992, and 2020, SN was there as the voice of the people and the political opposition. SN, as well as several of us in the media, played a critical role in rescuing democracy resulting in the return of PPP to office.
The closure of SN in Guyana and of Newsday in Trinidad have other political and social implications. It means less avenue for promotion of civic engagement and reduction of government accountability. It will also lead to reduced community engagements as civics will not get coverage. Because of closures of SN, politicians and business people may act badly and end up violating democratic governance and honest business practices respectively. In addition, we will be deprived of in-depth, balanced coverage of events, causing the public to rely on less reliable, partisan, propagandistic alternatives.
It is hoped that something will be done, some kind of intervention of a public that value traditional news reporting, to keep the lamp burning at SN. In the modern information age, the media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion and influencing social discourse. This must continue. When Indo Caribbean World, CNY, West Indian News, and others were closing, I advised publishers to go digital. Newspaper publishers have to pursue technological adaptation if they are to survive in the long term. West Indian tried for a while but eventually succumbed because of a lack of financial resources; ads were not coming in to meet costs. Indo West Indian businesses were not advertising. Indo Caribbean World has been holding on as a digital publication; is one of the finest diaspora media, and it is hoped that it will remain publishing for eternity.
SN should consider digital communication technology! Switch to on line news so that the fourth estate may continue to serve as a protector of our democracy.