The Alliance For Change (AFC) has paid tribute to Stabroek News, describing the newspaper as a pillar of Guyana’s free press and a significant contributor to the country’s democratic life.
In a statement, the party said that as March unfolds there is growing concern that the long-standing newspaper appears to be moving toward closure, a development the AFC described as a profound loss for Guyana.
“As March unfolds, we are confronted with the stark realisation that Stabroek News—a bastion of the free press in Guyana—appears to be moving irreversibly toward a painful closure. How do we say farewell, and thank you, to an institution that helped define who we are as Guyanese. For decades it made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands, every day of every year,” the statement said.
Founded in 1986 by attorney and journalist David de Caires, Stabroek News has been one of Guyana’s most prominent independent newspapers. After nearly four decades of publication, the paper has announced that its final printed edition will be published on March 15, 2026. The closure of the print operation has been attributed to mounting financial challenges, including declining circulation, reduced advertising revenue, and in excess of $80 million unpaid government advertising debts, alongside broader changes affecting newspapers worldwide and the shift toward digital media.
The AFC highlighted the newspaper’s role in shaping national dialogue and providing a platform for a wide range of views.
“The Alliance For Change celebrates the immense contribution of Stabroek News to our democracy. It educated us in culture and the arts; it provided a forum where friends and foes alike could air their opinions, disagreements, and frustrations; and it consistently sought to maintain balance in a society often pulled toward dangerous extremes,” the AFC said.
The party acknowledged that Stabroek News often published critical commentary about political actors, including the AFC itself.
“The AFC itself was never spared the ‘slings and arrows’ of its sharp editorials or the pointed criticisms found in its letters columns. Yet when credit was due, it was given. That was the mark of a newspaper committed to fairness and intellectual honesty,” the statement added.
The party also extended appreciation to the many individuals who worked behind the scenes to produce the publication over the years.
“Today we gladly celebrate the founders, the editors, the daily and weekly contributors, and above all the many silent workers whose efforts sustained the newspaper: the editors and proofreaders who shaped the words, the staff who formatted the pages, the printers who brought them to life, and the drivers who carried the news through the darkness so that Guyanese could begin each day informed. To all of you, we say: thank you,” the AFC stated.
The party further suggested that the newspaper’s challenges were linked not only to global changes affecting the newspaper industry but also to the broader political climate.
“It is deeply unfortunate that Stabroek News has become a casualty not only of the changing tides affecting newspapers worldwide, but also of a political climate that too often treats criticism as hostility. A democracy thrives on scrutiny; it weakens when dissent is met with vindictiveness or intolerance,” the statement said.
The AFC called on Guyanese to defend democratic values, including respect for differing viewpoints.
“We therefore encourage all right-thinking Guyanese to stand up for fairness, decency, and respect—for a Guyana where differences of thought, political affiliation, culture, and belief are embraced as sources of strength rather than occasions for exclusion and hostility,” the party said.
Reflecting on the moment, the AFC also invoked the words of Guyanese poet Martin Carter, quoting from his 1974 writing:
“I have at last started
to understand the origin
of our vileness, and being unable to deny it, I suggest its nativity.
In the shame of knowledge of our vileness,
we shall fight.”
The party concluded by urging continued commitment to democratic freedoms.
“And so we must continue to fight—for truth, for justice, and for the preservation of the freedoms that make our democracy meaningful,” the statement said.
