Barbados mourns passing of veteran journalist Harold Hoyte
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Barbados is mourning the passing of veteran journalist Harold Hoyte, one of the founders of the Nation Publishing company, who died on Sunday following a long illness.
Hoyte, who retired in December 2006, was Editor Emeritus of the Nation Newspaper up until the time of his death and had a long and distinguished career in journalism, having started his profession as a copywriter at the Barbados Advocate in 1959.
He later moved to Canada where he worked for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Telegram and editor of the Contrast.
On his return to Barbados, Hoyte along with several other colleagues founded the Nation Newspaper in 1973 where he served as Editor-in-Chief for three decades.
In recognition of his outstanding career, the Government rewarded Hoyte with the Gold Crown of Merit in 2003 and in 2005 he was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of the West Indies.
On Sunday, the Barbados Association of Journalists and Media Workers said his death has left a gaping hole in the media fraternity.
“He was a colossus in the news information profession as a founder of the Nation Publishing Company Ltd., a mentor and coach to an array of journalists in this country. His intellectual acumen and fearlessness as a professional media goliath will remain etched in my mind and I have no doubt in the minds of us all.”
