Reporters Without Borders Warns Caribbean Media Outlets Face Economic Problems
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says developments in Trinidad and Tobago, where government’s suspension of public advertising contracts with news outlets, reflect a broader trend across the Caribbean.
The international non-profit and non-governmental organization, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information, said independent news organizations in the Caribbean region are struggling with shrinking advertising markets, rising operating costs, and competition from global digital platforms.
It said that the closure of Newsday in Trinidad and Tobago followed the demise of Guyana’s Stabroek News, another independently owned newspaper known for its investigative reporting, “underscoring the mounting economic pressures confronting independent journalism across the region”.
In March, RSF detailed how this financial hardship has made the Caribbean media landscape more susceptible to propaganda and foreign influence.
According to the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index, Trinidad and Tobago remains among the better-forming Caribbean countries in terms of press freedom and ranks 32nd globally.
“However, in recent years, the Index has emphasized that economic fragility is one of the principal threats to independent journalism worldwide, as financially weakened news organizations become less able to fulfill their democratic role.”
In its statement, RSF said that it is concerned by the Trinidad and Tobago government’s suspension of public advertising contracts with news outlets as the country’s independent media faces growing financial strain.
It said that since the policy was announced in May 2025, one national daily newspaper has closed, and another has announced layoffs in its newsroom, in a country with only three newspapers.
RSF said that the continued loss of government advertising risks further weakening independent journalism and media pluralism in one of the Caribbean’s strongest press freedom environments.
The Paris-based organisation said that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar placed all advertising by government ministries and state enterprises on mainstream and social media — broadcast, print, and digital -“on hold until further notice” as part of a broad cost-cutting package on 13 May 2025.
It said public sector advertising represented a significant portion of revenue for many news outlets in the Caribbean, yet Persad-Bissessar said the measures were necessary to address what she described as an estimated TT$4.42 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents0 deficit for May and a projected TT$11 billion deficit for 2025.
“Independent journalism in Trinidad and Tobago is already under significant economic strain. Withholding a major source of advertising revenue will have consequences that extend far beyond newsroom balance sheets. Justifying these cuts as cost-saving measures is misguided, as research consistently shows a clear link between a strong news media ecosystem and economic performance,” RSF said.
“Trinidad and Tobago has long stood out as one of the Caribbean’s strongest performers in press freedom and ranks 32nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. It is deeply regrettable to see policy decisions directly threaten that record, and we urge the government to reverse course, ensure that any reforms to the allocation of state advertising are implemented transparently and in consultation with media stakeholders, and to help media institutions transition to more sustainable financing models,” it added.
The executive director for RSF North America, Clayton Weimers, said that Trinidadian journalists and media association members interviewed by RSF, note that the full scale of government advertising expenditure is difficult to quantify because spending is decentralized. Individual ministries, state agencies, and government-owned enterprises independently purchase advertising, and no comprehensive public accounting of these expenditures exists.
He said the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) Douglas Wilson, warned in a statement that withdrawing a significant source of revenue from independent news organizations could have serious consequences for the country’s media landscape.
“Austerity measures that threaten a robust news media ecosystem may be self-defeating, as a financially sustainable independent press is an essential component of a healthy economy. A growing body of research shows that independent journalism reduces corruption, improves government accountability, promotes economic development, and strengthens consumer protection.
“In small Caribbean media markets, where government advertising remains an important source of revenue for independent outlets, abrupt cuts can further weaken media pluralism and the public’s access to the watchdog reporting that underpins transparent and accountable governance,” said Weimers.
