Farewell to Shelley Clarke, a competitor and colleague

Last Friday, December 6, 2024, we at SEARCHLIGHT learnt of the death of Shelley Clarke, a veteran journalist on the local media landscape. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of this festive season, such news is a stark reminder that we all must go the way of all flesh, as we acknowledge the frailty of the human being. Shelley was never a flamboyant individual In fact, one can say he was reticent, and quite unassuming. He, however, possessed what news Professors would describe as “a nose for news”. That quality was replicated many times over in some rather ‘exclusive’ pieces in The News, the newspaper he co-founded with former colleagues of then Radio St Vincent and the Grenadines (RSVG),still referred by listeners near and far as Radio 705, or 705 Radio, which later transitioned to The National Broadcasting Corporation. At the National Radio Station, Shelley was the one who took new entrants in the area of broadcasting (news and on-air talent) under his wings for orientation training, to ensure that excellence was published to the listener. He held firmly to principled positions, and this trait led to the first and only act of industrial action of the radio station’s news and broadcast staff when the State authorities sought to define the parameters of news and gave directives to the newsroom.

Though soft spoken, Shelley came alive when he was behind a microphone whether in-studio, or doing outside broadcasts. When differences led to their departure from NBC the trio of Shelley, Colin Williams and Bernard Joseph, teamed up to start The News, this country’s second weekly newspaper, a successful publication. They transferred some of the broadcast writing style to the newspaper which was a plus for the reader.

It was differences between him and then columnists of The News, which later led to the formation of this newspaper, SEARCHLIGHT, and while both publications were competitors, there was never bad blood between both camps. In fact, on a single, and maybe only occasion, all three then weekly newspapers decided to produce a common editorial, so grave did the Editors see the issue on which comment was being made.

Shelley was probing in his questions and fearless with his pen, often angering many, and gaining the commendation of others- such is the world of journalism, and Shelley experienced it all. His pen has been stilled, his candle flame extinguished, but he has left an indelible mark on the media landscape in St Vincent and the Grenadines. As his immediate and extended family mourn their loss, we at SEARCHLIGHT extend to you our deepest condolences. May Shelley’s name still resound.