Clairy Ruth Polak (30 May 1956 – 31 August 2023) was a Dutch journalist and radio and television presenter.

In 2002, Polak returned to VARA, where she became the presenter of the radio programmes De Ochtenden [nl] and Ophef en Vertier.

In 2010 she received the Sonja Barend Award [nl] for her interview with Hans van Goor on NOVA in 2009.

On the radio, Polak was often seen as a "shark bay" because of her fierce interviewing style.

Around 2008–2009 she was seen as the face of left-wing journalism,[5] which was part of the general accusation that current affairs programs were too politically left-oriented.

[8] Polak said of herself in an interview in Elsevier Weekblad: "The idea prevails that being critical is the same as being left-wing.