Attacks on the Press in 2010 - Committee to Protect Journalists

<strong>Attacks</strong> on the Press in 2010editor and publisher of the Brooklyn-based weekly Haitian Times, wroteon the CPJ Blog on February 1. But surveying the landscape in Port-au-Prince three weeks after the quake, Pierre-Pierre described large-scaledestruction that had nearly silenced Haitian radio news, a situation thatwould continue for many months.An exception was Signal FM, the only station to continuously broadcastduring and after the earthquake. The station’s transmission facilities,east of the capital in Pétionville, withstood the quake and the dozens oftremors that followed. But as recounted by Haitian journalist Jean RolandChery, who produced a series of stories on the crisis for the CPJ Blog, “Thetrue credit goes to the station’s staff members, who made extraordinaryefforts and great sacrifices to inform the public during a period of chaos.”Quoting Mario Viau, the station’s managing director, Chery wrote that“Signal FM played a vital role in the aftermath of the disaster, serving as aprimary conduit between victims and relief services and between victimsthemselves.”TOP DEVELOPMEN TS IN HAITI»»Journalists persevere afterquake, working from tentsand homes.Dozens of reporters jobless.Print media sustain heavylosses.KEY STATISTIC95Percent ofradio stationsknocked offthe air by the Januaryearthquake. Most hadreturned by late year.Radio Television Caraibes, the leading private broadcaster in Haiti, wasquick to resume radio broadcasting, setting up makeshift operations ina tent just a few days after the quake. As work resumed, station directorPatrick Moussignac said he hoped normalcy would return for traumatizedHaitians. For that reason, he said, “Caraibes Matin,” a satirical look atpolitical and social issues, was the first Radio Television Caraibes programto go back on the air. “The population needs therapy, and we must learn tolaugh again,” Moussignac told CPJ. Radio Television Caraibes served thelocal population in other ways as well. The station made its generator availableto local residents, for example, so they could recharge their cell-phonebatteries, CPJ’s Chery reported. Hundreds of people took advantage of theoffer, which enabled them to communicate with their families.By late year, SOS Journalistes estimated that 97 percent of radio stationshad resumed broadcasting, although many operated under exceptional98