Le Nouvelliste, Haiti’s oldest daily newspaper, faces changes in the media landscape

PORT-AU-PRINCE — After suspending its print edition due to escalating insecurity, Le Nouvelliste has once again reinvented itself—this time as a digital-first publication. Now focused on strengthening its online presence, the newspaper is striving to retain a shrinking subscriber base essential to its longevity, all while upholding its mission of balance and objectivity.

Haiti’s oldest daily paper now operates out of new offices in Pétion-Ville after fleeing a gang assault on its former headquarters on Rue de l’Enterrement in Port-au-Prince. Despite these challenges, Le Nouvelliste, now gleaning daily news under Editor-in-Chief Frantz Duval’s leadership, continues to assert its role as the dean of the national press.

Calm and approachable in a blue-and-white checkered shirt, Max E. Chauvet, now owner and director, reflects on the newspaper’s evolution since taking the helm in 1973, shortly after returning from abroad. He speaks with evident pride about the paper’s enduring legacy.

“I don’t want the newspaper to stop functioning under my direction. I leave this decision in the hands of the next generation,” Chauvet said with a smile during an interview with The Haitian Times.

A passion for information and service to the Haitian community

Le Nouvelliste’s origins trace back to May 1, 1898, when Guillaume Chéraquite founded Le Matin, a newspaper printed at the press of Henri Chauvet, a writer, Port-au-Prince parliamentarian and great-grandfather of Max E. Chauvet. When Le Matin folded in April 1899 due to financial hardship, the two men decided to launch a new publication. On Aug. 1, 1899, Le Nouvelliste was born — considered a continuation of Le Matin, though it retained May 1 as its symbolic anniversary.

“At that time, there were many newspapers, but all were tied to political parties,” Chauvet explains. “The two founders wanted to create a commercial paper, supported by subscribers and open to all sectors.”

From the beginning, Le Nouvelliste aimed to be neutral — neither aligned nor opposed — but rooted in service to the community. That guiding philosophy laid the foundation for its editorial independence and role as a platform for public dialogue.

Chéraquite served as director-owner, while Henri Chauvet, a man of letters, became editor-in-chief and later, in 1909, a full partner. That same year, he acquired the paper entirely and passed it on to his son, Ernest Georges Chauvet, in January 1919. And the newspaper has been owned by the Chauvet family since then. A professional journalist trained in the United States, Ernest—Max’s grandfather, turned Le Nouvelliste into a family-owned institution that has endured for over a century despite numerous trials.

To this day, readers recognize and value the newspaper’s dedication to public service, viewing Le Nouvelliste as a vital source for staying informed and socially engaged.

“It provides reliable, timely news and shares thoughtful analysis and reflections from various experts, all while maintaining a clear editorial line,” says Paul Aimable, a longtime reader. For him, the paper has earned the public’s trust through its enduring reputation.

Ashley Jean Baptiste, an attorney with the Mirebalais bar association, also commends the outlet’s rigorous fact-checking and editorial standards.

“I became a regular reader of Le Nouvelliste in 2012, but I was already browsing some articles in 2008, and you’ve never heard of it spreading disinformation,” he says. “Le Nouvelliste is a media outlet that keeps evolving, transitioning from print to digital with the same professionalism.”

A legacy of generations and resilience through turbulent times

After the death of Ernest Georges Chauvet, leadership of Le Nouvelliste passed to his sons, Max Chauvet Sr. and Pierre Chauvet — the third generation to guide the newspaper.

Pierre later pivoted to the tourism sector, founding his travel agency, Citadelle, while administration of the paper fell to Jeanine Chauvet, Max Sr.’s widow. When Max E. Chauvet returned to Haiti after completing his studies abroad, he assumed general management of the paper in 1973, ushering in the fourth generation of family leadership.

Through decades of political unrest and economic instability, Le Nouvelliste weathered many storms. Max Chauvet recalls that the only time the newspaper ever ceased publication was during the U.S. occupation of Haiti. His grandfather was arrested and jailed twice for publishing articles opposing the American presence in the country.

Under the Duvalier dictatorship, the paper adopted a cautious posture to ensure its survival, often steering clear of political confrontation.

“My elders chose to remain discreet and very neutral,” Chauvet says. “At the time, the paper focused mostly on local incidents and international news.”

Longevity driven by independence and adaptability

Le Nouvelliste has long stood as a pillar of Haitian journalism, thanks in part to its legacy of independent thought and its ability to evolve with the times. Across generations, influential voices have helped shape its role in the national media landscape.

In its early years, Haitian journalism was deeply influenced by the interplay of literature and politics. Many early contributors were intellectuals actively engaged in public life, often maintaining close ties to the political establishment. The paper’s founder, Guillaume Chéraquite — himself a former deputy — exemplifies that dynamic.

The first executive council of Le Nouvelliste, established in 1920, reflected this intellectual-political blend. It included Ernest Georges Chauvet, Frédéric Duvigneaud and poet Léon Laleau — all of whom would go on to hold significant government positions.

Today, Le Nouvelliste’s longevity continues to inspire both respect and curiosity. One question surfaces again and again: What is the secret to its survival?

While other historic Haitian dailies like Le Matin, founded by prominent literary writer Clément Magloire in 1907, and Le Nouveau Monde, established in 1958 by former Cap-Haïtien parliamentarian and Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Luc Fouché, have disappeared, Le National—established in 2015 as a more recent entrant— quickly abandoned its print edition early to become fully digital. In contrast, Le Nouvelliste endures.

According to Max E. Chauvet, the paper’s current owner and director, there is no magic formula. He attributes the continued existence of the daily—censored during both the U.S. military occupation of Haiti and the Duvalier dictatorship—to a guiding philosophy passed down through generations, one rooted in balance, objectivity and editorial integrity.

“It’s about how you present the news,” Chauvet says. “We’ve avoided extremes and adapted to changing times.”

Survival, he adds, also requires independence.

“To survive, you must owe nothing to anyone. We’ve had many offers, sometimes disguised as help to upgrade our equipment, but we always said no,” Chauvet explains, recalling similar situations under the Duvalier regime.

“In Haiti, survival means constant self-reflection, adaptability, and staying alert to your surroundings,” said Max E. Chauvet.

When Chauvet assumed leadership of Le Nouvelliste in 1973, the newspaper entered a new era. Despite enduring wave after wave of political, economic, and social upheaval, the paper pressed on, guided by innovations that helped it modernize and grow.

A shift from black-and-white to color printing marked a turning point. With a new rotary press and upgraded production capabilities, the paper expanded from 24 to 32 pages, half of which were in color. These advances allowed for faster printing, greater volume, and more visually engaging layouts.

The paper also broadened its editorial scope, evolving into a full-fledged daily with dedicated sections on news, the economy and culture to engage a wider readership.

For Joram Moncher, an editor with more than 12 years at the paper, Le Nouvelliste’s resilience is rooted in a core set of values: professionalism, creativity, discipline, impartiality and inclusion.

“This opportunity helped me both professionally and socially. It’s a story of success,” said Moncher, who is based in Belladère.

“Working here demands discipline and dedication. One must represent the institution with dignity,” added Michel Césaire, a journalist since 2014. “It’s an honor to see my name in the oldest newspaper in the country.”

Césaire, who covers judicial affairs, said he is consistently impressed by the publication’s ability to endure — a testament, he believes, to its deep commitment to serve, inform and educate.

Hit hard by insecurity, Le Nouvelliste still stands

On April 25, 2024, Le Nouvelliste’s management announced that its offices had been vandalized. The assault forced the suspension of its print edition — a multimillion-dollar investment made after the 2010 earthquake. The attackers dismantled and stole a 40-meter-long printing unit, the centerpiece of the paper’s production.

Yet, insecurity had been eroding the paper long before the break-in. With every neighborhood that fell under gang control, the number of subscribers declined.

“In Carrefour, Martissant, La Plaine, and parts of Delmas, we no longer deliver the paper,” said Chauvet. “We went from 15,000 subscribers to around 3,000.”

With the print edition halted, subscription revenue, once a core pillar of the newspaper’s financial model, disappeared.

“Today, we’re like a radio station,” Chauvet added. “What used to make us strong were subscriptions and advertising.”

The attack struck a heavy emotional chord among the staff. For editor Joram Moncher, it felt like the collapse of more than just a building — it was the loss of collective memory.

“To see that after 125 years, a few disoriented individuals destroyed the premises of the country’s oldest newspaper — it was painful,” he said.

“Le Nouvelliste is a pillar. It must remain the memory of a struggling nation,” said Michel Césaire, who also lamented the loss of journalistic solidarity in the face of growing insecurity.

“We now have to avoid certain areas for our own safety,” he added.

Le Nouvelliste looks to the future with paid digital  content

As print readership continues to decline, Le Nouvelliste is embracing a more robust digital model. With audiences increasingly turning to mobile phones, tablets, and computers for news, the paper is adapting to meet readers where they are.

The surge in insecurity has only reinforced this shift. For Max E. Chauvet, the transition must be mobile-first. His vision is to develop a paid digital platform offering exclusive content — including audio and video — that cannot be found elsewhere. For now, the site remains free to access.

Globally, print is under pressure — squeezed by rising production costs and competition from FM radio and digital media. While Le Nouvelliste reinvents itself to stay relevant, the decline in advertising revenue remains a pressing concern.

“Advertising that used to be spread across ten outlets is now shared across ten times more,” Chauvet notes.

Still, the paper retains a strong digital footprint: a comprehensive website, the Ticket magazine, and active social media channels. This digital infrastructure is now central to Le Nouvelliste’s strategy for the future; one that must evolve without abandoning the principles that have guided it for over a century.

“I have no choice but to see the newspaper not just as a newspaper, but as a multimedia product,” Chauvet says.

Pressing challenges across Haiti’s broader media landscape

Le Nouvelliste’s digital pivot comes at a time when Haiti’s media ecosystem is undergoing rapid transformation amid deepening insecurity and political instability. While the country boasts a robust media tradition dating back to the 19th century, today’s landscape is fragmented and threatened.

Media ownership in Haiti is predominantly family-run or privately held, with few conglomerates and virtually no significant state-owned press aside from Télévision Nationale d’Haïti (TNH) and Radio Nationale d’Haiti (RNH), both established in 1979 under the Duvalier regime. Haiti’s gazette, Le Moniteur, was founded in 1845 to manage the government’s official and administrative communications.

Since the 2000s, however, an increasing number of independent digital outlets like AyiboPost—some operated by citizen journalists or diaspora-supported initiatives—have emerged to address the gap left by shuttered or financially struggling print, radio and TV outlets.

Historically, radio has been the primary medium in Haiti, with nearly 700 stations making up over 70 percent of the country’s media consumption. There are approximately 40 television stations nationwide. Print circulation has sharply decreased since the 2010 earthquake, and digital media now represents an increasing share of news access—especially among youth and urban populations with mobile internet access.

But journalists operate under constant risk. According to  UNESCO, as reported by AP, at least 21 journalists were killed from 2000 to 2022 in Haiti, with nine killed in 2022, the deadliest year for Haitian journalism in recent history. Two more journalists were killed in 2023. The July 2023 gang attack on the Liancourt-based Radio Antarctique in the lower Artibonite Department—where gangs set fire to the station and looted its equipment—and the killing of two journalists during the attempted reopening of the State University Hospital of Haiti (HUEH) on December 24, 2024 were a chilling reminder of the vulnerability of independent press institutions.

“We’re seeing unprecedented attacks on press freedom in Haiti,” said a Port-au-Prince-based reporter who asked not to be named for safety reasons. “It’s not just censorship—it’s fear for your life.”

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has repeatedly condemned the threats faced by Haitian journalists, citing impunity and lack of state protection as key enablers of violence against the press.

Despite these challenges, Le Nouvelliste’s digital transformation serves as a beacon of resilience in a hostile environment—an effort not merely to survive, but to uphold a democratic pillar in an increasingly fragile society.

Editor’s Notes: Fritznel D. Octave, Haiti editor of The Haitian Times contributed to this story.

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