The first part of this paper establishes the relationship between the evolution of the free press and the ethnic context in Mauritius during the colonial period. The paper goes on to examine a rare and somewhat surprising phenomenon, namely the merger in the 1940s of three dailies with distinct ethnic affiliations : the titles in question being Cernéen, Mauricien, and Advance. The author argues that this unusual merger cannot be solely attributed to the shortage of paper brought on by Second World War. Rather, the determining factor behind the merger was due to the already existing points of convergence amongst the editors in chief and directors. Quite apart from the common ground which prevailed amongst the three papers, what enabled the combined title Cernéen-Mauricien-Advance to last for more than six and a half years was doubtless an ingenious editorial policy. The paper concludes by highlighting the significance of this merger in the Mauritian context.