The ''Advocate'' ("Barbados Advocate") is the second most read daily
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
in the country of
Barbados
Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
. First established in 1895, the Advocate is also the longest continually-published newspaper in the country.
History
The Barbados Advocate was founded in 1895
by
Valence Gale
Valence Gale (1850-1909) was a Barbadian journalist and the founder and editor of the Barbados Advocate.
Early life and education
Born in 1850, Gale was orphaned when he was 4, when both his parents died in the cholera epidemic of 1854, and ...
, who had gotten his start at the Barbados Agricultural Reporter.
Gale died in 1908,
leaving controlling interest in the paper to his wife, Clara Gale (née Chenery).
Gale's son, Valence C. Gale, served as manager from 1919
and later managing director of the paper;
his brother-in-law, C. L. Chenery as editor.
When Chenery died in 1925, Gale's younger son, C. A. Louis Gale, served as the paper's editor for 30 years.
In 1946, the Advocate had a circulation of 7,000 on weekdays and 12,000 on Sundays and was still under its original ownership.
In 1954, the newspaper joined the
Inter American Press Association
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA; Spanish: ''Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa'', SIP) is a press advocacy group representing major media organizations in North America, South America and the Caribbean. It is made up of more than 1,300 ...
(IAPA). In 1960, it was joined by the ''Daily Star,'' which became a new Barbados' daily newspaper. In 1961, two British companies acquired a majority interest in the paper.
The newspaper was purchased by (the then) Anthony T. Bryan in 2000 and he became the first Black publisher in the newspaper's history. In 2020, Sir Anthony Bryan died,
leading to a protracted legal battle over ownership of the paper.
Content and Coverage
The ''Advocate'' is a colour newspaper covering a wide array of topics, including:
* Business
* Sports
* Entertainment news
* Politics
* Editorials
* Special features
* Investigative journalism; and
* Local, regional, and international news
Headquarters
The headquarters of the ''Barbados Advocate'' is in the Fontabelle neighbourhood in
Saint Michael
Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...
parish, in western
Bridgetown
Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...
.
See also
*
Media in Barbados
*
Barbadian companies
References
External links
The Barbados Advocate(in Barbados)
Oldest Existing Commonwealth Caribbean Newspapers
Advocate Newspaper, The
Advocate, The
{{Caribbean-newspaper-stub