NASSAU, Bahamas – Eldred “Ed” Bethel, a renowned journalist and former diplomat, was the recipient of The Etienne Dupuch Lifetime Achievement Award presented by The Bahamas Press Club at its 5th annual Media Awards at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel in downtown Nassau on Saturday, February 29, 2020.
The black-tie event will be held under the patronage of His Excellency the Most Hon Cornelius A. Smith, Governor-General of The Bahamas, and Mrs. Clara Smith.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is in honour of the late Sir Etienne Dupuch, a crusading journalist who was Publisher and Editor of The Tribune — one of The Bahamas’ leading newspapers — for more than 50 years. The award was presented to Bethel by Mrs Eileen Dupuch Carron, The Tribune’s Publisher and Editor.
Bethel began his journalistic career at The Tribune in 1959 at the Nassau Tribune under the tutelage of Sir Etienne Dupuch and Sir Arthur Foulkes, who was at the time The Tribune’s News Editor.
He subsequently began an outstanding career in broadcast journalism when he the News Department of Radio Station ZNS in 1963. During his journalistic career, Bethel covered many of the major events in The Bahamas, including the 1962 Nassau Conference held by United States President John F. Kennedy, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker; the 1962 General Election, in which women voted for the first time; the 1965 disastrous fire and sinking of the SS Yarmouth Castle; the 1965 “Black Tuesday” demonstration by the Progressive Liberal Party, when then Opposition leader Lynden Pindling threw the mace out of the window of the House of Assembly; and the the historic 1967 General Election, which was won the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), ushering in the first majority rule government.
As coordinator of ZNS coverage of the 1973 Bahamas Independence, Bethel along with Charles Carter and Carl Bethel were the broadcasters at Clifford Park on the historic night of July 9, 1973 when The Commonwealth of The Bahamas became an independent country.
Bethel along with Charles Carter and the late Calsey Johnson inaugurated local television, ZNS (Channel 13) in July 1977. He was coordinator of ZNS coverage of the 1985 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) hosted by The Bahamas in Nassau.
Bethel also served as Manager of ZNS Northern Service and Deputy General Manager of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. He served as Sports Editor at The Counsellors, Executive Director of Bahamas Information Services, News Editor at Love 97 FM and The Bahama Journal, and News Anchor of the Evening News at Star 106.5 FM
As a diplomat, Bethel has served as Consul General to New York (2002 – 2007) and Bahamas High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador to the European Union (2013 -2017).
