The International Journalists Network has reported that print media in Haiti is “on the brink of extinction” following an attack in April.

Germina Pierre Louis writes in the (translated) article that the latest casualty is “the country’s last remaining daily print newspaper”, Le Nouvelliste which suspended its print edition after armed gangs attacked its offices in downtown Port-au-Prince.

Director of operations Max Chauvet says the paper hopes to resume its print edition “at some point down the line.

“It's very troubling for a country to be without a print press.”

Louis says Port-au-Prince has some weekly newspapers, but their circulation is limited.

Association of Haitian Journalists secretary general Jacques Desrosiers warned the absence of print media in Haiti “will have serious repercussions on the dissemination of knowledge in the country.

“The print media also serves as the country's archives. If you need to learn about an event that occurred long ago, you turn to a printed newspaper. While technology offers archiving possibilities, we're not yet at that level in Haiti.”

Chauvet said the decision to stop printing the paper did not mean they had completely abandoned it. “If order is restored and we can once again access our historic [newsroom] sites, we will resume production.”

Le Nouvelliste has relocated to nearby Pétion-Ville since the attack, but Chauvet said it was too expensive to move all of the newspaper's equipment from downtown, “and the need for repairs and to replenish supplies is a further concern.

“We'll need to carry out repairs and reorder supplies before we can get the presses running again. But even then, how will we reach subscribers who have relocated, whether in Martissant or Carrefour-Feuilles,” he asked.

Not only did many subscribers move, but additionally mail carriers did not want to take the risk of delivering the newspapers.

“All together, the circumstances have made it nearly impossible to deliver print papers to subscribers. The trucks could no longer get diesel, the trucks could no longer deliver the paper, we could not receive the inputs, our employees could not go on site,” he said.