Dear Editor,
I read with interest your policy statement which was written some thirty years ago when the Stabroek News first came into existence.
By and large, you have succeeded in your mission to establish a free and independent newspaper which was badly needed at that time, particularly in light of the tight control of the media by the then PNC regime. The fact that you had to initially print in Trinidad and Tobago is indicative of what obtained during that period. Both the Mirror and the Catholic Standard were unable to obtain newsprint and other inputs to print and had to periodically stop printing. Even donations of printing materials were disallowed in order to stifle the free flow of information.
Today the media landscape has changed significantly with the introduction of several new media houses both in the print and electronic spheres. This is good for the country since I always subscribe to the view that more information to the public is always better than less. As mentioned in your policy statement, a free and independent media is an important pillar of democracy, even as I recognize that newspapers are to a large extent ‘views papers’ reflecting a particular political and ideological orientation.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
