Most countries the size of a mid-sized town abroad have one local paper. Grenada has several, all weekly, all small, and each with readers who would never buy the others. There has been no daily newspaper for decades, and the reasons have as much to do with arithmetic as with politics: the costs of printing and distribution in a market of little more than 100,000 people are hard to cover every day.
Weekly papers still matter. They carry the long political columns, the leaked documents, the court reports and the editorials that radio hosts quote the following Monday. This explainer looks at how the weekly press works, what it does well, where it falls short and how to read it with a critical eye.
Why there is no daily newspaper
Producing a daily paper requires a newsroom large enough to fill pages every day, a printing operation and a distribution network that gets copies into shops in every parish by morning. In Grenada, the potential readership is small, and advertising, the main source of revenue for most papers worldwide, comes from a limited number of businesses and the government.
Paper and ink are imported, adding freight and duty. Distribution along winding roads to St Patrick, St Andrew and St David takes time, and Carriacou requires a sea crossing. A weekly cycle spreads those fixed costs over a full week of sales and advertising, which makes survival possible.
Competition from other media has reinforced the pattern. Radio delivers breaking news instantly, and in the last two decades online news sites and social media have done the same. Many readers now look to a weekly for analysis and opinion rather than for what happened yesterday, which suits the weekly model. Several attempts at more frequent publication over the years have not lasted, which reinforces the view that once a week is what the market can support.
A long and turbulent tradition
Grenada's press has a long history. In the colonial era, papers such as The West Indian, associated with T.A. Marryshow and founded in 1915, campaigned for representative government and West Indian federation, and the Torchlight became one of the most widely read papers of the later twentieth century. Newspapers were closely tied to political movements, and readers knew where each stood.
That tradition was interrupted during the revolution. The Torchlight was shut in 1979, and when a group of citizens launched The Grenadian Voice in 1981, the People's Revolutionary Government closed it and restricted newspaper ownership. After 1983 independent papers returned: The Grenadian Voice resumed, The Grenada Informer was established in 1985 and The New Today followed as a prominent weekly voice.
The weeklies of today carry that inheritance. Their outspokenness, their attention to politics and their sense of themselves as watchdogs owe something to the memory of a period when independent print was suppressed.
What weeklies cover, and why
Politics and government. Coverage of Cabinet decisions, parliamentary debates, party conflicts and public contracts forms the core. Papers often publish detailed accounts and commentary well after the first reports.
Court reporting. Criminal trials, civil suits and judgments, especially those involving public figures, are staples. Court reports require care because errors can lead to contempt or defamation claims.
Columns and letters. Regular columnists, some writing under pen names, and letters from readers give papers their character. Columns range from political analysis to religion, economics and history.
Documents and leaks. Weeklies frequently publish internal letters, reports or contracts obtained from sources. These stories can drive the national conversation for weeks.
Community and sport. School results, church events, obituaries, sports results and achievements of Grenadians abroad fill the remaining pages.
How papers pay their way
Revenue comes from three main sources: copy sales, private advertising and government advertising. Copy sales through shops, supermarkets, gas stations and street vendors provide a steady but limited income. Advertising from banks, supermarkets, car dealers, telecom companies and other businesses is essential, and losing a major advertiser can hurt a small paper badly.
Government advertising, such as notices, tenders, job vacancies and public information campaigns, is a significant source of income for many outlets in small states. Across the Caribbean, media workers and press freedom groups have raised concerns that governments can reward friendly outlets and starve critical ones by deciding where official advertising goes. Such claims are hard to prove without published data on advertising allocation.
Staffing is lean. A weekly may have an editor, a small number of reporters, a layout person, and contributors who write columns for little or no payment. Owners and editors often do several jobs at once, from reporting to selling advertisements, which limits the time available for investigation. Rising printing costs and the shift of advertising to social media have squeezed budgets further in recent years.
Ownership, voice and perceived alignment
Grenadian papers are typically owned by individuals or small companies, often closely associated with a particular publisher or editor. Their editorial positions reflect those owners' views, and readers commonly describe papers as sympathetic to one party or another. Such labels are part of local media culture, though papers themselves generally insist on their independence and criticise governments of all colours over time.
Perceived alignment affects how stories are received. A revelation published by a paper seen as hostile to the government may be dismissed by supporters as partisan, even when the documents are genuine. Conversely, a friendly paper's reporting may be treated as automatically credible by its readers. Judging the evidence, not the masthead, is the better approach.
Editorials and columns are clearly opinion. News reports should present facts and give people the chance to respond. A sign of careful journalism is whether the subject of an allegation was contacted for comment and whether their response is reported fairly.
The weekly paper goes online
The internet has changed the weekly model without ending it. Most papers now publish some or all of their stories on websites and social media pages, often before the printed edition appears. That has widened readership, especially among Grenadians abroad, and allowed papers to compete on speed for some stories.
It has also created problems. Online advertising pays far less than print for small outlets, and readers who see articles free on Facebook may not buy the paper. Comment sections and shares can expose papers to legal risk if they host defamatory statements. Copying is common: stories researched by one paper are sometimes rewritten by other sites without credit.
Some outlets have experimented with live video, podcasts and short clips to reach younger audiences. The papers that adapt best tend to treat print as one product among several, keeping their investigative and opinion strengths while publishing news online as it happens.
How to read a Grenadian weekly critically
These steps help separate solid reporting from rumour and spin, whichever paper you pick up.
- Identify the type of piece. Is it a news report, an editorial, a column, a letter or a reprinted press release? Each has a different standard.
- Look for sources. Named sources and documents carry more weight than "it is understood" or "sources say". Anonymous sources are sometimes necessary but should be corroborated.
- Check for a response. Fair reporting includes the side of the person or institution criticised, or says they did not respond.
- Compare outlets. Read how other papers, radio and online sites covered the same story. Agreement on core facts is reassuring; wide differences call for caution.
- Check official records. Court judgments, the Government Gazette, parliamentary records and audited reports can confirm or contradict claims.
- Watch dates. Weekly papers can lag events. Make sure a story has not been overtaken by later developments.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't Grenada have a daily newspaper?
The market is small, printing materials are imported, distribution across the island and to Carriacou is costly, and advertising revenue is limited. Radio and online news also provide daily updates, so weekly papers focus on analysis and opinion, which allows them to stay viable.
Which newspapers are published in Grenada?
The Grenada Informer and The New Today are among the best-known weeklies. Barnacle is described as a monthly business journal. Other titles have appeared and paused over the years, so check current publication before relying on any particular paper.
Where can you buy a newspaper in Grenada?
Weekly papers are sold in supermarkets, shops, gas stations and by vendors in St George's and other towns. Many also publish articles on their websites and social media pages, which is the easiest option for readers abroad.
Are Grenadian newspapers politically biased?
Readers often describe papers as leaning towards one party or another, and editorials reflect owners' views. Papers generally claim independence. The best approach is to judge each story on its sources and evidence and to compare coverage across outlets.
Can a Grenadian newspaper be sued?
Yes. Civil defamation claims can be brought against papers, editors and writers for false statements that harm someone's reputation. Criminal libel was abolished in 2012, but the civil route remains, and court reporting must also respect contempt rules.
