On June 8, 2026, a new independent digital news platform Kiskadee Watch announced its official launch in Guyana, introducing an innovative alternative funding model designed to preserve independent journalism and press freedom across the nation. Helmed by Anand Persaud, former Editor-in-Chief of the shuttered Stabroek News, the new outlet is stepping into a gap created by the collapse of one of Guyana’s most long-standing and respected news publications earlier this year.
Unlike many modern news outlets that rely on paid subscription models to generate revenue, Kiskadee Watch has adopted a hybrid financing framework adapted from two established global media organizations: the United Kingdom’s the Guardian and the United States’ National Public Radio. The model combines distributed share ownership with voluntary contributions from a broad range of stakeholders, including individual readers, non-profit foundations, civil society groups, and private sector businesses. Under this structure, all digital content on Kiskadee Watch’s official website kiskadeewatch.com will remain permanently free and accessible to all readers, both in Guyana and across the global Guyanese diaspora. While the organization has confirmed plans to launch a high-quality weekly print edition before the end of 2026, it has not yet announced whether the print publication will require paid access.
The launch comes months after Guyana Publications Inc., the publisher of Stabroek News, ceased all operations after 35 years of independent reporting. The company cited crippling rising operational costs paired with a major industry-wide shift of advertising spending away from print media toward digital platforms, which have increasingly bypassed traditional local news outlets entirely. In its official statement, Kiskadee Watch emphasized that it is building directly on the 35-year legacy of journalistic professionalism, integrity, and editorial independence that Stabroek News established over its decades of operation. The outlet has committed to upholding that legacy as a trusted, fact-centered news institution dedicated to protecting editorial freedom and strengthening open democratic discourse in Guyana.
Acknowledging that upholding press freedom and free expression carries significant financial costs, Kiskadee Watch has issued a public call for contributions from Guyanese residents, the diaspora community, and all supporters of independent journalism across the Caribbean and beyond. The organization will publish official bank details for public donations at a later date, noting that every contribution will help the outlet keep its digital content free for all readers.
The outlet’s distinctive name and branding draw on a beloved local icon: the kiskadee, a common bird species found across every region of Guyana. Known for the loud, recognizable call that gives the bird its name, the kiskadee is a hardy, highly adaptable species that survives challenging environmental conditions including unregulated pesticide use, limited access to clean water in polluted urban areas, and widespread replacement of native vegetation with concrete development. In its statement, Kiskadee Watch drew a parallel between the bird’s resilience and that of the Guyanese people, saying the species embodies the endurance that independent journalism in the country requires.
A six-member steering committee, composed of Janette Bulkan, Rhett Gordon, Jocelyne Josiah, GHK Lall, Cheryl Springer and Alissa Trotz, will guide the new outlet’s operations and governance as it builds out its audience and programming.