By: Staff Writer
May 7, 2024
A senior Caribbean journalist said Caribbean media houses have suffered intense violence over the past three years including drive by shootings and arson.
Dr Claire Grant, Deputy Chief Executive Officer RJRGLEANER Communications Group and President of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, said on a UNESCO hosted programme for World Press Freedom Day that: “According to the latest update from the World Press Freedom Index, which evaluates the environment for journalism in 180 countries and territories. The situation is extremely serious, very serious as it’s categorized in 31 countries difficult in 42, problematic in 55, and good or satisfactory in only 52 countries.
“The situation is extremely serious. Very serious as it’s categorized in 31 countries, difficult in 42, problematic in 55, and good or satisfactory in only 52 countries.
“In other words, the environment for journalism is bad in seven out of 10 countries and satisfactory in only three out of 10. In the Caribbean media houses have suffered the intense incidents including drive by shootings and fires.”
The problem is dire in Haiti in particular as the CBU has reported six Haitian journalists that were killed since January 2022 as a result of their work.
Since the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the country has spiraled out of control with civilians of any profession were being attacked as the country is now overrun with criminal gangs.
Jacqueline Charles, award winning journalist for the Miami Herald, who is known for her reporting on the ongoing crisis in Haiti, was also on the panel and said: “While most people have only been tuned into Haiti since the July 7, 2021 assassination of the President, this downward spiral that we have seen or watching, has been in the making for quite some time, at least a decade if not going back to 2010 earthquake, which was supposed to be a period of renewed hope.
“But that hope has not really arrived. But certainly, in the last few years, it has been incredibly challenging to be a journalist in the country, whether you are a member of the local media, or the foreign press, we’re not only dealing with the ongoing gang insurgency and volatility, which can make you a victim at a moment’s notice. But this is still a country that is quite vulnerable to manmade disasters, and climate change.”
The 2021 earthquake in Haiti made a tenuous situation in Haiti break as the civilians scrambled for assistance just a few short months from dealing with the political fallout from the assassination of President Moise.