This thesis attempts the first comprehensive account of the development of the Caribbean News Agency (CANA). Presented in journalistic style, the story traces the evolution of CANA from an idea in 1947, to its establishment in 1976, to its recognition as the Third World's most successful regional news agency, to four current threats to the agency's future.

This account is informed by interviews with persons who have been connected to CANA, UNESCO studies on the agency's performance, books on the operations of global news agencies, scholarly and press articles, the CANA news file, and my own observations as a senior CANA staff journalist.