The photo in question appeared in the UK Times article of January 23, 2020, entitled “British Virgin Islands: cash and cartel trouble in paradise,” in which the Premier and his wife were edited in front of a photo of cocaine found in the historic $250M November drug bust.

Virgin Islands radio talkshow host Claude O. Skelton-Cline has called disrespectful and distasteful the actions of one UK Newspaper who used Premier Andrew A. Fahie and his wife, Mr Sheila E. Forbes-Fahie to pain the county as corrupt.

Yellow Journalism – Skelton-Cline

“In that article, it depicts the leader of our country, Hon Andrew A. Fahie and his spouse in front of that drugs that were taken by the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force that was captured… and I thought it was in such distaste and disrespect and disregard,” Skelton-Cline said on the Tuesday, January 26, 2020, edition of his show.

“Why would that paper… why would you use the Leader of the country’s spouse in telling your story and have that kind of backdrop… it is that kind of yellow journalism that reeks with sensationalism and therefore paints and frames a picture of the Virgin Islands,” he said.

The man of the cloth further alleged, that in all of the articles coming out of the UK on the announced Commission of inquiry, the VI was painted as a territory that "reeks" of drug trafficking and money laundering.

He accused the CoI Commissioner, the Right Honourable Judge Gary R. Hickinbottom and the former DPP Kim Hollis QC of peddling the same corruption narrative as quoted in articles.

According to Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline, in all of the articles coming out of the UK on the announced Commission of inquiry, the Virgin Islands was painted as a territory that 'reeks' of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Corruption narrative being peddled

“I'm saying all that to say this is why you and I have to be cognizant have to be conscious, have to to stay woke, that we cannot allow people to frame our story,” Skelton-Cline said in noting that is the same of personal life, family as well as for the country.

“When you have other people determining what is in the frame of your picture and then sells that to the world then that is how the world began to see you and what the world believes about you,” he said.

He further illustrated that Premier Fahie's response to the CoI was never carried in the international press, “framing our story as some corrupt corridor in the Caribbean who are inhabited by persons that just run drugs, can’t explain their wealth and money laundering.”