Closure of Stabroek News in Guyana: 60 jobs lost

The final edition of the Guyanese newspaper was published on 15 March 2026. Publisher Guyana Publications Inc. (GPI) ceased operations due to ongoing financial losses and declining revenues from advertising and newspaper sales.

In an interview with Stabroek News, Persaud warned of the consequences of the newspaper’s disappearance. According to him, Guyana is thereby losing an important journalistic voice that has critically followed successive governments.

The publisher examined, among other things, whether the newspaper could appear less frequently in print or continue exclusively digitally. According to management, operating costs under those alternatives remained too high to continue operations profitably.

Closure of Stabroek News due to declining revenues

Managing director and company secretary Shaleeza Khan stated that revenues had declined sharply over ten years. Readers switched to online news, while advertisers moved their budgets to social media and other digital channels.

Higher costs for newsprint and other expenses also weighed on results. According to Khan, the newspaper recorded only occasional small profits over the past ten years. Persaud estimated the loss for 2025 at approximately 70 million Guyanese dollars.

According to Persaud, digital advertising revenue cannot sufficiently offset the loss of traditional advertising and subscription revenue. The shareholders therefore decided to close.

Sixty employees lose their jobs

The cessation of operations cost sixty employees their jobs. At its peak, the publisher employed around 120 people.

Persaud stated that GPI had sufficient resources to meet its financial obligations to staff. These include severance payments, outstanding vacation days and pension entitlements. In a report on the liquidation, liquidator Christopher Ram reported on 15 March that the severance payments had been made.

Several employees had been connected to the company for decades. Persaud worked there for 37 years; Khan and deputy editor-in-chief Samantha Alleyne-Williams had each worked there for 28 years.

Discussion over debt owed by Guyanese government

At the closure, Persaud stated that the Guyanese government still owed the publisher approximately 86 million Guyanese dollars. He indicated that the liquidator could take legal action if necessary to recover the money.

According to a report by Kiskadee Watch dated 1 November 2026, 27.7 million Guyanese dollars in advertising costs remained unpaid after partial payments. That amount comes from the outlet’s reporting and has not been independently verified by Key News.

According to those involved, the outstanding amounts were not the main cause of the closure. They pointed primarily to changing media consumption and the loss of advertising revenue.

Fears of reduced journalistic scrutiny

Stabroek News was founded in 1986 on the initiative of David de Caires and grew into a major news organisation in Guyana. The editorial team reported, among other things, on elections, government policy and the oil and gas sector.

Persaud fears that the disappearance of the newspaper will limit opportunities for public scrutiny of political and economic powerholders. He therefore asks the public to continue supporting other independent news organisations.

The importance of an independent editorial team aligns with the editorial policy of Key News, which places journalistic independence, fact-checking and transparency about sources at its core.

Historic newspaper archive preserved

According to Persaud, editions of Stabroek News dating back to 1986 have been digitised. In addition, complete bound collections of the print newspaper exist.

The shareholders must determine how the digital archive will remain available to researchers, journalists and other interested parties. Following the disappearance of the newspaper, the publisher continued with the settlement of its obligations.