INDEPENDENT newspaper Stabroek News will cease its print publication from March 15, 2026, as shifting market conditions and the accelerating dominance of digital platforms force a major restructuring of its parent company, Guyana Publications Inc. (GPI).
In a statement, the Chairman of Stabroek, Brendan de Caires, indicated that the company will shortly begin the process of voluntary liquidation, bringing an end to nearly four decades of print circulation for the independent newspaper.
The closure comes against a backdrop of global upheaval in traditional media business models, with declining circulation and shrinking advertising revenues continuing to erode the viability of print operations.
Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, reacting in a Facebook post, said, “It is regrettable to know of the intended closure of Stabroek News by mid-March 2026. It is truly an indication of how porous is the global media landscape and a stark reminder to those in the media business that they must constantly take into consideration evolving their strategy to deal with competitive market forces and changing media dynamics, including the eruption of social media.”
In his address to employees on Friday, de Caires confirmed that while the company will enter voluntary liquidation, all employee benefits will be honoured.
He explained that newspapers such as Stabroek News, which began publishing in November 1986, have faced mounting pressure from global digital platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
“Falling circulation and dwindling revenues impose a choice between corporate mergers, rapid digitisation, or managed decline. For the last five years, the Board of Directors of our company has weighed its options, including going digital against the near certainty of print media’s failure. In the end, we have made the decision to choose liquidation while we remain solvent and the company can pay its debts rather than risk a forced closure in the next few years”, he stated.
Editor-in-Chief Anand Persaud also pointed to market realities as a key factor influencing the closure. In an interview with Prime News, he said the changing media environment has reshaped how audiences consume news and how revenue is generated.
“Newspapers all around the world are facing this crisis. You would know yourself that just last month, News Day in Trinidad folded as a result of the collapse of advertising and subscription revenues and the general difficulty in the market. You know, the market is now dominated by social media and digitalisation. There are so many free openings for people to gather news,” he explained.
Persaud noted that over the past five years, the newspaper had confronted its challenges directly, exploring several options, including partial digitisation.
However, he acknowledged that these efforts did not deliver the long-term financial security required to sustain operations.
“So, we had to make a tough decision and in the light and in the mode of our being an independent newspaper, what you want to do is to leave with dignity. We want to be on our feet rather than live on our knees, beholden to anybody,” he said.
The cessation of print publication will mark the end of a 39-year run for Stabroek News, a publication that has played a prominent role in Guyana’s media landscape since its establishment in 1986.
