Civil Society: Success Stories
Haiti: The Press Fights Back
The Haitian media demonstrated unique tenacity during the past year in the face of death threats, kidnappings, and the killing of at least one prominent journalist. Strong government warnings and other menacing messages intimidated over 20 journalists into exile and pushed other journalists in the direction of self-censorship. Still, the journalist community vigorously reported and protested these violations of press freedom. Indeed, challenges to the media's independence became the top story reported in the Haitian press in FY 2002-- 57 articles covered free press issues compared to 30 articles in FY 2001. Radio also vigorously reported violations of press freedoms, demonstrating a unifying professional theme on the part of Haiti's freewheeling albeit sometimes fractious media.
The USAID-sponsored media program also initiated "Espas Lib" (Free Space), a monthly discussion forum that has called the public's attention to free press issues such as extremist reporting, police-press relations, and elections reporting, a process that included professional exchanges between Haitian and Haitian-American journalists under the "Year of Florida" program). Espas Lib has created an invaluable meeting and discussion forum for the community of Haitian media professionals and foreign correspondents in Port-au-Prince. The popularity of the concept is evidenced in the recent agreement by Radio Ginen to air Espas Lib live on AM and FM signals nationally throughout Haiti, and by Radio Caraibe's request to rebroadcast Espas Lib on Sundays. There have been five discussion forums since launching Espas Lib in July 2002, in which more than 300 hundred journalists and people associated with the media have participated, with progressively larger attendance at each round.
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