Haitian media struggle to survive in face of attacks, revenue collapse

This article is published in association with United Nations.

An increase in attacks on media outlets in Haiti by armed gangs which control most of the capital Port-au-Prince is intended to intimidate journalists and instill chaos according to the UN agency for culture, UNESCO.

The Caribbean island nation is facing humanitarian, economic and political crises in addition to the break-down of law and order.

In the last week, three media houses were targeted, in what appears to be a change in gang tactics in order to isolate the population.

UN News asked Frantz Duval, the editor of Le Nouvelliste newspaper, Hervé LeRouge, the CEO of Le National newspaper and Télévision-Radio Pacific, and the head of the UNESCO Haiti office, Eric Voli Bi, what effect the attacks are having on journalists’ ability to continue providing accurate information to Haitians about the crisis there.

UNOCHA

Most of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, is controlled by gangs.

An attempt to silence the free press

Frantz Duval: The Haitian press has been under attack for a long time already. It’s already been a year since our offices were totally vandalized. There have -also been attacks on Radio Télévision Caraïbes, Radio Mélodie, and Télé Pluriel. It’s all part of the total takeover of the Haitian capital by armed gangs, which has affected all institutions as well as private individuals.

Eric Voli Bi: The situation is very alarming. We are seeing repeated against civilians, students and journalists. The attacks against the media are intended to intimidate them and end their essential mission of informing the public. UNESCO is calling for immediate measures to ensure the safety of journalists, protect their media facilities and create a secure environment for the free exercise of the press.

Frantz Duval: Le Nouvelliste is 127 years old, and under the same ownership for four generations. It is the first time we have suffered a crisis of this magnitude. There have been difficult political situations in the past which disrupted publication, but only for a week or two. Even when we were hit by the 2010 earthquake, we resumed publishing just a few months later.

It is very difficult to travel in Port-au-Prince. Those who continue to work are restricted to ever smaller areas. This means that are fewer news images and reports from places where there are violent clashes, because journalists no longer venture into these areas.

Decades of archives and essential equipment destroyed

Frantz Duval: When our historic premises were vandalized in March 2024, the editorial staff were unharmed because they had already left, but we couldn’t take the printing presses or our archives. Because downtown Port-au-Prince became a no-go area due to the presence of gangs, it was 10 months before we could get to the building. There was almost nothing left. This means that now we are an online-only news organisation.

© UNOCHA/Giles Clarke

A 63-year-old woman lies wounded on the floor of a hospital in Port-au-Prince after warring gangs swept through her neighborhood.

Hervé LeRouge: So far, neither I nor my media companies have been attacked. However, I own several construction companies, providing concrete and asphalt, and two weeks ago, we were attacked by the gangs. Our premises were reduced to ruins and one of my employees was killed. He had been with me for fifteen years. It was a big loss.

Non-existent revenue

Frantz Duval: There are no subsidies or public funds for the Haitian press. Everything is financed by advertising, which has been slashed because hardly any businesses are doing well enough to be able to advertise.

Hervé LeRouge: 51 people work for my TV station and newspaper, and the revenue doesn’t even cover payroll. My other companies allow me to pay their salaries, and I don’t want to let them go because there is no work for them anywhere else right now. Also, I consider this career to be a social service to the community.

Eric Voli Bi: For the press to survive this difficult period, it goes without saying that we will still need a minimum of security in this country, and that is the responsibility of the government.

UNESCO is working with the Ministry of Communications to restructure the state broadcaster (Radio Télévision Nationale d’Haïti), by providing training and new equipment. We are also using social media to help get verified information to the people, but also radio, which remains the must trusted channel of communication, especially in the countryside.

Reliable information ‘a matter of life and death’

Eric Voli Bi: Access to reliable information can be a matter of life and death. It can help people to identify safe zones, avoid danger and make the right decisions to protect themselves and their families.

© UNICEF/Ralph Tedy Erol

People flee the neighbourhood of Solino in Port-au-Prince following gang attacks there in May 2024.

Hervé LeRouge: These journalists are used to difficult situations because, every day, they are reporting and presenting live shows from the streets, just as they have always done, showing the population what is happening, so that they know where it is safe to go. That is the service we provide to the people.

Eric Voli Bi: The armed groups are trying to isolate the population and create chaos in the in the country by attacking the media. Press freedom is essential to guarantee the right to information and ensure transparency in the society. It’s also a platform for diverse voices a key to ensuring transparency. In this country, which has been scarred by violence and instability, knowing the truth can be incredibly healing.

Hervé LeRouge: I will not leave the country I love. This is my country, and I will defend it even at the risk of my life.