McCalla, Val

Val McCalla, in full Val Irvine McCalla, (born Oct. 3, 1943, Kingston, Jam.—died Aug. 22, 2002, Seaford, East Sussex, Eng.), Jamaican-born British publisher who founded The Voice, an influential British newspaper focusing on black issues and interests.

Before moving to England at age 15, McCalla studied accounting at Kingston College, a Jamaican high school. He served in the Royal Air Force, failing to become a pilot but working as a bookkeeper. After his RAF service, McCalla volunteered at East End News, an alternative newspaper, while working as an accountant. He launched The Voice in 1982 at a time of racial unrest in the United Kingdom. Semi-tabloid in style, the paper targeted racism in all its forms and courted controversy, leading some to criticize it as sensationalist and irresponsible. Its influence, however, was undisputed, and it became a training ground for leading journalists. McCalla also owned other publications such as Chic and Pride magazines, and he founded The Weekly Journal in 1991 to secure a place in the growing market for well-to-do black Britons.