While some employees of the newspaper work on the ultimate edition of the daily, others sort their personal effects, March 15 in Noumea. DELPHINE MAYEUR/Hans Lucas via AFP
Entitled the New Caledonians, the newspaper founded in 1971 appeared for the last time this Thursday, for lack of buyer.
After ” nine years of loss“, the newspaper has lowered the curtain. The Nouméa court on Friday ordered the judicial liquidation of the Melchior group, publisher of the dailyCaledonian News. The day before, the public prosecutor in New Caledonia had asked that a recovery plan be favored with a continuation of the activity of the only daily in the South Pacific territory, rather than its outright judicial liquidation.
In addition to the diversity and pluralism of the press, the prosecutor had insisted on the social aspect of this liquidation, the local group Melchior employing some 120 people. Without success. “Salaries for the month of March will be paid, but other than that, we are not sure of anything, we have no assurance for the future“, told AFP Baptiste Gouret, journalist for New Caledonians and staff representative for the safeguard and liquidation plan. In a press release, the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) deplored…