One year on for journalists in Haiti
One year after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the country’s journalists work tirelessly to support reconstruction of the country
Over 30 journalists were killed outright in the earthquake, many more were injured or lost members of their families. Most of the island nation’s radio and TV stations were heavily damaged and forced off the air one year ago today in Haiti.
As media houses collapsed in the tremors, scores of journalists were left unemployed and media left without facilities from which to communicate lifesaving information to the desperate public. Hundreds of journalists immediately turned their energy to supporting the population, setting up on the street what equipment they had salvaged in order to help individuals and families access vital humanitarian information and inform of their needs and priorities.
Three major journalist / media organisations lost their offices, leading IMS to establish the Baz Lanbi Centre in Port-au-Prince, to host the National Association of Journalists in Haiti (AJH), Groupe Medialternatif (GM) and SOS-Journalistes – as a long-term development investment into Haitian media sector. The center has permitted these organisations to support the reconstruction of the country, the population’s access to information on the recent cholera epidemic, the conflict-ridden electoral processes, and providing much needed training and production opportunities to journalists – over 300, to date – on humanitarian and electoral journalism, as well as journalism in traumatising situations.
The three organisations, together with SAKS and Refraka, major community radio networks, continue to support the population’s access to humanitarian information while acting as watchdogs of the reconstruction process. The country mourns today, a year after the earthquake, as the sequels of the earthquake continue to affect them on all fronts.
IMS shares this moment with the Haitians, and highlights the remarkable work of the Association of Journalists of Haiti, Groupe Medialternatif, the network of community radios SAKS, the network of women community radio workers REFRAKA, SOS-Journalistes and the many other organisations that continue to support disaster-affected communities and help them communicate their needs, priorities and strategies.
