Fellow Guyanese,

I extend greetings to you on this merry occasion. As the curtains come down for 2017, on behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited, I take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support and look forward to your continued partnership in the New Year. I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect, count your blessings — there is so much to be thankful for, give praise, keep the faith alive, and stay positive. As a newspaper, we have much to celebrate.
Christmas is a time for reflection, rejuvenation and hope for the future. This is the season to have the spirit of caring, sharing, to love and to be generous; this is what connects us all during the festive season.

As we look back, 2017 has been a year of successes and challenges. These past couple of months seems like a full year since my appointment. Our newspaper during this time encountered many difficulties and challenges, but we have lived through it all — moments of glory and difficult times.

Importantly, it has earned us valuable experiences, and we can safely say that we will be going forward in the New Year on better footing.
The Guyana Chronicle as the State’s newspaper is here to serve responsibly in the interest of the Guyanese people both here and in the diaspora.
For the past 40 years it has had the special responsibility of serving as the State’s paper. The Guyana Chronicle of today is not only a vehicle for quality journalism but for vigorous, unrestricted debate on issues affecting the Guyanese society.
We have stuck to this mandate as we seek to improve both content and coverage of our newspaper.

We must celebrate our defiant growth, but like the saying goes, growth managed under harsh conditions hardens a plant for all weather and for all times.
We are pleased that our reputation as a responsible newspaper has been growing and we hope that in the near future, the Guyana Chronicle will reach every household in Guyana.
This will be a feat we can all proudly celebrate. I am convinced and I believe that our papers will continue to contribute to a greater understanding on issues and developments taking place within our country.

I urge all Guyanese to continue to be interested in the affairs of our country and to become engaged in our affairs. We will continue to work on producing news that you can trust — news that is credible and responsible.
Since our rebranding three years ago, the Guyana Chronicle has changed considerably in terms of quality of content and is progressively developing into a brand of excellence.
Testimony to this fact is the tremendous success we have enjoyed at the prestigious Guyana Press Association (GPA) and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) media awards for excellence in journalism.

It cannot please us more to report that this year we have won 33 awards of excellence in journalism, covering diverse areas from health, agriculture, human rights, business and finance, to politics and local government, science and the environment and investigative journalism.
The number of awards and the latter award won are a first in the history of the Guyana Chronicle.

This is the time to celebrate, and in keeping with the spirit of the season, a few days ago we had our inaugural Christmas tree light up and our staff and their children had a great time. This year, we also joined the campaign to eliminate violence against women and girls and hosted an awareness programme, which will now become an annual event.
I have full confidence in the staff of the Guyana Chronicle and as we go forward into the New Year, we will do so with renewed energy and enthusiasm with the aim to improve on the gains made in 2017.

It is our hope that the Guyana Chronicle becomes the newspaper of choice, but for this to happen, we require the support of all Guyanese.
Let me end by once again thanking you all for your support; we at the Guyana Chronicle pledge to work even more strenuously in 2018.
I wish you all, my fellow directors, our staff, our vendors, our advertisers, our readers and their families a safe and happy Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, joy productivity and prosperity.
God bless us all
Ms. Geeta Chandan- Edmond
Chairman
GNNL