Weekly Jamaica Courant
The Weekly Jamaica Courant, published as The Weekly Jamaica Courant, with News Foreign and Domestick, was the first newspaper published in colonial Jamaica and the West Indies, and the second regular newspaper in the British settlements of the New World. It was first published in 1718 and was disestablished in 1755, being succeeded or replaced by the Jamaica Gazette or the St. Jago de la Vega Gazette.
History
Prelude
On 1 October 1717, Nicholas Lawes, Governor of Jamaica, requested the Board of Trade's permission for the founding of a local printing press.Lawes presented his case personally at the Board's meeting on 10 October 1717, further adding that a press 'would be a publick convenience and advantage to commerce.'
The requested press was set up by Robert Baldwin, printer, sometime during AprilMay 1718, on Church St., Kingston. He is thought to have been guaranteed a government contract for the printing of official business, and to have chosen Kingston as his base for the greater commercial opportunities this centre offered.
Establishment
The Courant's date of first publication is uncertain. The earliest extant issue is that of 28 May 1718, which has been proposed as the paper's first issue. An earlier issue of 11 February 1718, not extant, has also been proposed as the paper's first issue. Either issue makes the Courant the first newspaper published in the West Indies, and the second regular newspaper in the British colonies of the New World.Run
Editorship
The Courant was published by authority and passed by the censor of colonial Jamaica, Thomas Ridout. It was edited by Robert Baldwin until the first quarter of 1722; by his widow, Mary, until sometime during 1734; by their sons, Peter and Robert, until 5 February 1746; it is unclear who edited the paper after this.Printing
The Courant was usually printed in four sheets of 17 by 22 inches. Its early copy seems to have been modelled after the London Gazette, to which paper the Courant's first issues bore resemblance. The paper's design and format were modified in the 1720s. It was published by Robert Baldwin until the first quarter of 1722; by his widow, Mary, until sometime during 1734; by their sons, Peter and Robert, until 5 February 1746; it is unclear who published the paper after this.Coverage
The Courant covered European news, government business, and some local news, including prices current and shipping intelligence, in addition to advertisements. Its coverage seems to have remained unchanged throughout the paper's history.An analysis of advertisements in extant issues of the Courant revealed that ads for runaway slaves constituted the bulk of the paper's ads. The issue for 12 September 1722, notably, gave an account of the 28 August 1722 hurricane, which claimed 400 lives.