Dear Editor,
A newspaper is much more than a business. It is a living institution and reflects the psyche of a nation.
The Stabroek News burst on the horizon when this nation began an economic shift in the mid-eighties. It was a breath of fresh air since the Chronicle had begun to look like a party organ. The founders of the newspaper were men of integrity. Mr. David DeCaires had once been the editor of the QC Lictor, arguably the best student journal in the Caribbean.
Stabroek News faced many trials just like we the populace of this nation. We remember the times when government advertisements were withheld from the paper. Yet for all this it continued and the owners must be complimented for their resolve.
The paper, however, lost its way along the road. I refer to its relentless campaign against the coalition government. They knew very well that a lot of mischief was afoot and that 47 ballot boxes of unverified votes could not have been baptised as valid.
Then they embarked on a virulent campaign against the APNU and, in a way, the people of African origin. Of late two very offensive cartoons were placed in the paper. The last one depicted a black boy running through the streets with gun in hand. This certainly was not the usual behaviour of African youth.
What the paper forgot was that black people mainly purchase newspapers in this nation. To offend this demographic means that the paper would be courting a severe drop in sales. Next, the PPP rewarded the paper with the withholding of much needed cash. This was a most vile and wicked thing to do.
I feel that the owners have grown tired of the struggle. They lack the testicular fortitude of Messrs DeCaires and Fitzpatrick. The editor in his zest for promoting Indian supremacy has lost his way. We must let the demise of a former News Icon be a salutary lesson for all of us.
I wish the owners well in their future endeavors.