Peter Christopher
Newsday’s closure has been described as a tragedy that has prompted great worry that journalism in the region is under serious threat.
Several senior journalists and organisations shared that view following the news that the newspaper was permanently shutting down.
Former Newsday editor in chief Judy Raymond said the closure was a blow to local journalism and warned that other media houses were struggling with similar challenges.
“I was absolutely heartbroken when I heard it,” she said, “I think it’s a tragedy, not only for the staff of Newsday, but for the media in general, because the other media houses are not immune. The other two papers do have the cushion of being supported by conglomerates, which is, was Newsday’s downfall. I mean, it was also a strength in that it was indeed independent, but financially, it just didn’t have the means to continue.”
Former MATT president Ira Mathur said the closure proved the media fraternity was under threat, and it was dangerous given the importance of journalism in the democratic process.
“This is a dangerous time for journalists, because not only are journalists losing their jobs, journalists are at risk. Because, you know, all the studies say that we’re at risk for mental health issues, for not being paid properly. But I think the entire profession is at risk, because what we are seeing now in this country is a form of self-censorship, and we’re seeing it in state organisations, and now we’re seeing it with a kind of disintegration of media that was not able to support itself. So it is, it is like a perfect storm,” Mathur said.
Vice President of the Media Institute of the Caribbean, Wesley Gibbings, noted that this closure was the latest in a worrying trend in the region.
He said, “The Media Institute is very concerned about what has happened with respect to Newsday. Newsday, being a bastion of journalism, of quality journalism, established by working journalists 32 years ago. “
Newsday’s closure comes just six months after Loop News and Sportsmax were shuttered by the Digicel group.
The Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association said it was saddened at the news of the winding down of Newsday.
In a release, the TTPBA said, “The journalists who gather the news are in the end, an important part of the democratic society in which we live. From this standpoint, our members must redouble our commitment to the population that we serve. Particularly at this juncture, where internationally, the world powers have, before our eyes, been changing the rules of civil society.”
It added, “The Newsday came into the market and made its mark. Indeed, a sad loss.”
The paper’s last publication was scheduled to be yesterday.
