Sri Lanka newspaper halts printing amid shortages 

Without enough newsprint, The Island suspends print edition 

Sri Lanka’s popular daily newspaper The Island, which was published without interruption during the civil war , has now halted its print edition, owing to a shortage of newsprint amid the severe economic crisis facing the country.

“We regret to inform our readers that we have been compelled to suspend the publication of The Island print edition on Saturday,” a notice, published on the front page of the newspaper said on Friday, attributing the decision to the “prevailing newsprint shortage.” The newspaper apologised to its readers for taking such a measure which, it said, was “due to circumstances beyond our control.”

Explainer: Sri Lanka’s aggravating economic crisis

Sri Lanka is strugglling amid a crushing economic downturn, with all sectors of the import-reliant island nation badly hit. Earlier this week, the country’s Education Department postponed term examinations for millions of students, as they did not have sufficient paper. Authorities also said they could not complete printing textbooks for the new term amid persisting shortage of paper. And now, the country’s print media is the latest victim of the crippling economic crisis.

“We are not printing the Saturday edition alone, as a temporary measure. The situation is very grim,” The Island’s Editor Prabath Sahabandu told The Hindu. “Many Sri Lankan newspapers have been going slimmer lately. We are all forced to cut down our pages and give truncated news because it’s not just newsprint that we import, but also printing plates and ink. And everything is either in short supply or just not available,” he said.

Fewer pages, in turn, lead to lesser advertisement revenue for the publications, editors pointed out. With printing having become a challenge, they also fear that crucial coverage of the current crisis may not reach the public if the newsprint shortage continues.