newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...
and the official print organ of the United Democratic Party. It is published on Thursdays and sells for BZ$1.
UDP newspaper history before ''The Guardian''
The UDP's history in the newspaper business starts with the ''Beacon'', owned by
Dean Lindo
Dean Russel Lindo (4 September 1932 – 17 September 2018) was a Belizean attorney and politician. He was one of the principal founders of the United Democratic Party in 1973 and served as its first leader from 1974 to 1979.The Reporter''). The ''Beacon'' survived until 1994, but the last years of the newspaper saw it become slowly eclipsed by the new ''People's Pulse'', headed first by Zelma Jex and later by William Ysaguirre and Ann-Marie Williams. The ''Pulse'' was the main newspaper for much of the 1990s but shut down like its predecessor after a UDP election loss in 1998.
Formation
With the defunct ''People's Pulse'' scheduled for shutdown after the 1998 general elections, in which the UDP lost, it was thought that the party needed a new image. ''The Guardian'' was expected to be part of that new image. With this in mind, the first issue of the newspaper rolled off the press in October 1998, even as the ''Pulse'' faced unpaid bills.
Current staff
* Editor: Alfonso Noble
* Marketing and Sales Manager: Ann Smith
* Reporter: Shane Williams
* Compositor: Adelie Patt
* Receptionist/Accounts Clerk: Vanessa Gillett
* Contributors (partial listing): Yasmine Andrews, Carlos Perdomo, Dr. George Gough, Michael Peyrefitte, Jamil Matar
** Columns w/out byline: "Bits and Pieces" (periodically), "The Searchlight", "Women Today", "Politics Today", sports section.
Editorial stance
As the official print organ of the United Democratic Party, ''The Guardian'' consistently criticizes the policies of the opposition
People's United Party
The People's United Party (PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2020 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean House ...
, whether in or out of government, similar to its PUP counterpart ''
The Belize Times
''The Belize Times'' is a Belizean newspaper published once a week and the official organ of the People's United Party (PUP). It was established in 1956 and sells for BZ$1
Its offices are located at the PUP's Belize City headquarters at 3 Queen ...
'' with regard to the UDP.
In March 2003, after the UDP lost elections called on the 5th of the month, editor Panton claimed the election was the worst managed in Belizean history and listed a number of instances he thought were proof of the
Elections and Boundaries Department
The Belize Elections and Boundaries Department is the hands-on administrator of Belizean electoral politics. It was established in 1989 as a subordinate to the Elections and Boundaries Commission.
Mission statement
As articulated by the EBD itse ...
's perfidy toward the UDP. However, Panton was at the time a member of the EBD's parent body, the
Elections and Boundaries Commission
The Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission is the primary electoral body in Belize. It supervises all local and national elections. The commission also establishes the boundaries of Belize's electoral divisions.
Formation and duties
The EBC w ...
, and was seen to have embarrassed the Commission by his action. A similar incident occurred prior to the 2003
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election ( Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to ...
in October contested by the March loser John Saldivar. Panton editorialized in the Guardian again about alleged abuses by the EBD and earned himself its ire once more, though Saldivar won the election anyway. Both cases went into the EBD's report of events in 2003, and Panton would eventually be replaced by John Avery.