Outlet (Antigua newspaper)

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The Outlet
Circulation
5,000
See also: List of newspapers in Antigua and Barbuda

The Outlet was a radical newspaper published in

Saint John's, Antigua and Barbuda.[1][2] The Outlet was founded in 1968.[3] The newspaper was edited by Tim Hector and James Knight.[1][2][4] It functioned as a weekly organ of the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM).[5] For the ACLM the newspaper played a very important role.[6] In its heyday Outlet claimed a circulation of around 5,000 copies, thus being the most widely read newspaper on Antigua.[3][6] As of the early 1970s, Outlet and Standard (which appeared on an irregular basis) were the sole opposition newspapers in the country.[7]

The Outlet was outspoken against corruption in the country. It argued that the Vere Bird government was guilty of lax control of casino businesses, peddling passports to non-Antiguans, mismanaging foreign loans, and using Antigua and Barbuda to launder arms shipments to South Africa.[8] Due to its criticisms, Outlet was often targeted by the government.[9]

In June 1978 Antigua Printing and Publishing Company ceased to print Outlet. The company claimed that the decision was motivated by fears that Outlet risked a libel lawsuit.[9]

In 1982 Outlet was pressured by the government to apply for a surety bond, following fresh criticism of government corruption in its articles.

East Caribbean dollars was stolen.[9][10] Copies of the 21 August 1982 issue of Outlet were seized by police.[9] These events prompted the newspaper to bring the government in front of the High Court, charging it with trying to deny the newspaper its "constitutional right" to publish.[9] On 4 September 1982, the High Court ruled that Outlet was a legitimate newspaper with the constitutional right to be published.[10]

In 1984 accusations of corruption and maladministration published by ACLM pressured the government to call fresh elections.[11] In May 1985 Hector was charged with spreading 'false statements' about the government and the Commissioner of Police.[11][12][13] In 1990 the Privy Council found the charges unconstitutional.[13]

The office of the newspaper was targeted by arsonists, following a November 1998 article in Outlet charging the government with secretly having imported weaponry for half a million dollars.

1999 general election.[14]

As of the early 2000s, the newspaper was published on Tuesdays and Thursdays.[15]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-85743-121-6
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-582-08554-1
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-2-88124-447-6
    .
  4. ^ a b c Caribbean Monthly Bulletin, Vol. 16. Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of Puerto Rico. 1982. p. 26.
  5. ISBN 978-1-85743-227-5
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 978-0-313-27418-3
    .
  7. ISBN 978-2-88124-447-6
    .
  8. ^ countrystudies.us. Government and Politics
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-2-88124-447-6
    .
  10. ^ a b c d e Intercontinental Press Combined with Inprecor. Intercontinental Press. 1982.
  11. ^
    ISBN 978-0-582-09646-2
    .
  12. ISBN 978-1-135-33805-3
    .
  13. ^
    ISBN 978-1-57958-135-0
    .
  14. ^ a b Douglas Wilton Payne (1999). The Failings of Governance in Antigua and Barbuda: The Elections of 1999. CSIS Americas Program. p. 34.
  15. ISBN 978-1-56656-477-9
    .

External links
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