Jamaica Gleaner - Jamaica's Oldest Newspaper

Launched on September 13, 1834 by real-life brothers Jacob and Joshua de Cordova, the Jamaica Gleaner is the oldest operating newspaper in Jamaica and the whole of Caribbean. Jamaica Gleaner was originally named as "The Gleaner and Weekly Compendium of News." It started as a morning broadsheet that was being published six times in one week. The Company behind The Gleaner, also called with the same name, published a Sunday paper called "Sunday Gleaner" and an evening tabloid paper known as "The Star." International copies of The Gleaners were published in countries like Canada, the United States, and United Kingdom.

The newspaper was first published during a critical period in Jamaica. During that time, the period of slavery was about to end. The Newspaper grew in sales when the owners decided to use advertisement sheets to advertise goods that are being sold. The first copy of The Gleaner featured a mission statement from the editors promising its readers to "please, amuse and to inform while holding domestic life sacred no attacks on private lives would be made."

After three months of its first publication, the name of the newspaper was changed to "The Gleaner: A Weekly Family Newspaper devoted to Literature, Morality, the Arts and Sciences and Amusements." After two years, in 1836, The Gleaner added four more pages and started to be published six times a week, except on Sundays. The advertisement sheets were being distributed freely and the newspaper's subscribers receive their copies as early as six in the morning.

In 1897, The Gleaner was converted to a public company. At present, The Gleaner remains the leading newspaper in Jamaica, employing 500 people, and with offices in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Montego Bay, and Kingston.