The Haitian press is also responsible for Haiti's poverty

• May, 8 2020 à 15:48
• Jean-Claude Dorsainvil
• Autres
• 0 Comments

Haiti has 2 press corporations, National Association of Haitian Media (ANMH), Association of Independent Media of Haiti (AMIH).
There are Association of Haitian Journalists (AJH) and SOS Journalists.
As Haiti is a special country, it is possible, in Haiti, there are media bosses who occupy the posts of ministers, secretaries of state, directors general by intermediaries, while these media benefit from taxes of the Haitian population and to advertise in one of these media, the person must pay in US dollars.
But the other journalists' associations have no political power.
If a Haitian journalist is victim or attacked, if he is a renowned journalist, without a doubt, we could well hear the voice of one of these associations, otherwise, the journalist who is not part of these gangs, this little journalist must suffer his fate without having anyone to defend him.
In Haiti, there is an abundance of information around us on the Internet, on television, on the radio, in the newspapers and especially by television (word of mouth). Although a strong democracy encourages press freedom, but a press that informs the public, should allow a variety of voices to be heard while holding leaders accountable. Faced with the Haitian context, it follows that journalists and press media are transversally responsible for the poverty of the country because they do not assume their responsibilities and professional ethics. The non-objectivity and corruption of the Haitian press makes it responsible for the poverty of Haiti. From there, we can deduce the situation of journalists with the following words: scams, settling of scores, flattery, sweet eyes, blackmail, etc. Because, the phenomenon of corruption has undoubtedly reached the Haitian media which often trample on the principle of objective information. Corruption in the Haitian media respects the classic forms of corruption. It ranges from passive bribery to active bribery and takes various forms: cleaning up the image, food items, transport costs, transport facilities, etc. Why the Haitian press is not able to influence the population positively and not at the expense of the collective good? Why is the term developer not in the Haitian journalist's directory? Why do the biggest Haitian media work for the government? Why is the international media of greater value in Haiti?
Why are journalists so corrupt in Haiti?
To this question, several causes of corruption and the non-objectivity of the Haitian press are listed. According to investigations, Haitian journalists are very poorly paid. In addition, there are backlogs that make them impoverished. Another is the lack of training and the lack of professional ethics. The increasingly degrading socioeconomic and political conditions have led Haitian media men to shamelessly throw themselves into this base task.
On average, media outlets pay their journalists between 5,000 and 20,000 Gourdes per month. Journalists recruited as radio, television and private media hosts earn an irregular monthly salary of less than 20,000 gourdes. Despite the low wages, they lag behind several months in arrears.
The other major factor linked to corruption is the lack of adequate training in the principles of the trade. While education is the basis of any sustainable development, it is said that after the executive, legislative and judiciary, the press is the fourth power. But one wonders how education could be the basis for sustainable development if the press are not also educated. At the same time, with the surge of journalists who inform the population and analyze facts, we tell ourselves what is the future of the profession with journalists who have not even had their single baccalaureate or second part while they wrongly influence or because of the strata of the Haitian population. It should be noted that even among the few journalists who followed basic or advanced training, non-compliance with the sacrosanct principle of the profession for economic or political reasons led to the disintegration of moral and social values and the loss of the concept of ethics.
This deterioration in the working and living conditions of these media workers has made them increasingly vulnerable. Today, we no longer speak of journalists in the literal sense of the term, but of journalists or profiteers.
What are the ethical responsibilities of the press?
In Haiti as in the United States of America, the press is sometimes called the fourth power. While the executive, the legislature and the judiciary are the only legitimate powers in the country, the nickname for the press reflects the vital role of the media in monitoring the activities of government and its officials. As Share America mentions, the press has an important duty to inform the public. It helps the population to understand the often complicated procedures of the functioning of government. And she explains to him how decisions made at the highest levels can affect him.

The media allow people to express themselves and contribute to the dissemination of opinions that do not necessarily match those of the ruling leaders. When the press publishes the views of opposition leaders, and takes the government to task in its editorials, it invites multiple opinions. Democracy leaders are unlikely to appreciate public criticism of their policies, but they support the right of the press to do so.

A free press is also used to keep the government running smoothly, such as when it sheds light on corruption. It is precisely because the press is independent of government that it can warn the public when its leaders do not keep promises made to be elected (Share America, 2020).

When journalists are threatened, attacked, censored or imprisoned, the freedom of expression for the whole of society is directly attacked. A solid democracy encourages freedom of the press. On the other hand, a government that opposes the press creates a climate in which fear drives journalists to censor themselves. The very antithesis of the "frank, robust and open to all" climate is necessary for the debate of questions of public interest.


Traduction by Jean-Claude Dorsainvil : email : direction.capia@gmail.com