José Lake Sr....Stood.

This week marks what would have been the 100th birthday of José H. Lake Sr., the late father of St. Martin journalism. For us at The Peoples’ Tribune, his memory is not simply a historical footnote. It is a reminder of why we chose to step into a media landscape often saturated with noise and lacking in the courage that defined Lake’s time.

Lake was fearless. He was principled. Most of all, he believed in the potential of the St. Martin people. His pen was his weapon, his shield, and his gift to a society that desperately needed someone willing to speak uncomfortable truths. He called out wrongs when it would have been safer to stay silent. He challenged exploitation and corruption even when it cost him personally. His example is one of bravery in a place and era where bravery often came at one’s own peril.

History records that in the 1960s and 1970s Lake endured an economic boycott for reporting on government corruption and the mistreatment of dock, Landsradio, and hotel workers. He supported unions, knowing it would earn him powerful enemies. He was declared persona non grata by France for exposing the colonial education system and accused French officials of suppressing press freedom. He was spat on at political rallies, threatened with violence, harassed by British forces in Anguilla, and even saw his newspaper office in Great Bay set ablaze. Yet he stood firm. He wrote. He published. He never backed down.

A firm believer in the unity of St. Martin, Lake fought against exploitation and discrimination on both sides of the island. He understood something fundamental that too many have forgotten: journalism exists not to comfort the powerful, but to hold them accountable, to demand transparency, and to insist on fairness for the people.

Contrast this with 2025. The media landscape today is crowded with platforms and personalities who confuse speed with substance. Copy, paste, post, whoever does it fastest, builds a following. But followings can be weaponized, used not to inform but to manipulate, not to hold leaders accountable but to prop them up. The fine art of accountability journalism is under pressure, practiced by fewer and fewer authentic, principled journalists.

That is precisely why St. Maarten needed José Lake then, and why his example matters now. In his day, elected officials sought to silence him; today, many of our representatives respond to social media chatter rather than serious questions from the press. That shift makes his legacy more urgent than ever. Lake’s pen shaped a country because he understood that freedom of the press is not a privilege. It is a duty.

At The Peoples’ Tribune, we stand on those same principles. On his courage, we build our foundation. On his belief in the people of St. Martin, we frame our mission. We reject compromise on the basic tenets of journalism: truth-telling, accountability, and objectivity. To do otherwise would be a disservice to this country and an injustice to our noble profession.

We are growing quickly as a publication, and we are grateful for the readers who have embraced us. But growth without grounding is meaningless. As we look forward, we lean on the example of José H. Lake Sr. We are grateful that he stood, when so many would have bent. Because he stood, we too can stand, firm, unflinching, and unapologetic in the service of truth.