Newfoundland Mercantile Journal – Newfoundland, Alexander Haire and Robert Lee, 1816

The Royal Gazette, established by John Ryan in 1807, remained the only published newspaper in Newfoundland until 1815. At the time, Newfoundland lacked its own legislature and was governed by appointed British naval governors. No newspaper could be published without the governor’s explicit consent. Successive governors consistently refused to grant permission, turning down even Alexander Haire and Robert Lee when they attempted to launch their newspaper in 1813.

However, circumstances changed in 1814. In a significant advancement for press freedom in Newfoundland and Labrador, legal advisors in London informed Sir Richard Keats, the Governor of Newfoundland, that he no longer had the authority to obstruct the establishment of newspapers or printing presses.

As a result, in 1815, Haire and Lee were finally granted permission to publish the Newfoundland Mercantile Journal, marking a pivotal moment in the history of journalism in the region.