A critical lens into the negative framing of Haiti reports by the mainstream press
OPINION
Last week independent filmmaker Gustavius Smith provided a critical lens to what he observes as “the negative way in which the mainstream media (including the New York Times) frames Haiti and Haitians to its readership.” In a post originally published on PolicyMic, Smith specifically referenced the recent New York Times report: Earthquake Relief Where Haiti Wasn’t Broken. In his critique, Smith likens the approach in Haiti coverage to The Bible’s Book of Revelation.
“The Book of Haiti, the gospel about this Caribbean nation according to the New York Times, is like The Book of Revelation – doom and gloom. The reporters at the New York Timesfind it more compelling to frame Haitians as desperately poor, victims of their government, and primitives incapable of achieving a better life. But as Haiti rebuilds and continues to develop, the U.S. media must stop recycling incomplete images of Haiti as a failed state to meet the expectations of its readers…
Earthquake Relief Where Haiti Wasn’t Broken introduces New York Times readers to The Caracol Industrial Park, a Haitian development project with levels of transparency and community involvement mandated for economic development projects in most U.S. cities. The construction of the industrial park is led by the UTE, a Haitian entity under the Ministry of Finance staffed and run by Haitians.
The anchor tenant, Sae-A Trading, is a South Korean clothing manufacturer and major supplier to American retailers like Walmart and The Gap. The Caracol Park and associated investments were approved by the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) in December 2010 by a Board comprised of senior members from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Haitian government, union and civil society leaders, and partners from the international community. The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the United States pooled resources and worked in multidisciplinary teams with the Haitian government, environmental experts, energy engineers, civil engineers, urban planners, financial advisers, labor compliance experts, economists, and industry experts. In reality, this was a deliberate, thoughtful project designed by Haitians to change their future, not an ill-advised altruistic NGO coming in to fix things.
Nonetheless, the New York Times article describes the project as one that has displaced Haitian farmers, has the potential to produce poor public housing akin to the slums of Cité Soleil, an industrial polluter, and will harken Haitian employees back to the times of slavery. Even the salary to be earned is framed as having “no roots” when compared to the “banana tree.”
These are strong words that perpetuate the image of Haitians as incapable, corrupt, disorganized victims to a voracious government that need outside protection and oversight. In contrast, the author of Haiti’s Battle to Shake off a Poor Reputation frames Haiti as a developing nation trying to find a foothold to start climbing the ladder of development. This positive portrayal of the country describes a path taken by many other developing countries, and follows a strategy that led many South Asian countries from extreme poverty to middle income status.”
Read the full piece here.
Simply wish to say your article is as amazing. The clarity in your submit is just cool and i can suppose you’re an expert on this subject. Fine along with your permission let me to take hold of your RSS feed to keep updated with approaching post. Thank you one million and please keep up the gratifying work.
Thank you for the good writeup. It actually was once a leisure account it. Glance complicated to far added agreeable from you! However, how could we keep in touch?
Great site. Lots of useful information here. I am sending it to some friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks on your effort!
I don’t even know the way I finished up here, but I assumed this put up was great. I don’t know who you might be but certainly you are going to a well-known blogger in case you are not already. Cheers!
I am really inspired along with your writing skills and also with the format on your weblog. Is that this a paid subject matter or did you customize it your self? Anyway stay up the nice quality writing, it’s uncommon to look a great blog like this one these days..
it looks very nice, i really like your article. thanks;
by http://www.tadeebulquran.com
For 25 years I have been complaining to the main-stream press about their coverage on Haiti. It seemed they always reffered to Haiti as “the poorest country in the western hemisphere”. The NY Times was notorious for this since 95% of their articles refererred to Haiti in this manner.
When Haiti gained it’s independence it was considered a rogue, rebellious nation. Apart from the civilization that the West was trying to establish. During the American occupation, Haiti became the Darling of the West. The Americans had established roads, schools, hospitals, Le Champ De Mars etc and some semblance of Democracy and the rule of Law. When Papa-Doc came to power al tha came crashing down and the West felt betrayed.
As Haiti deteriorated into chaos, it once again became the “poster-boy” for backward Black Civilization just as it was when it won it’s independence in 1804. The West, especially America would point to the “darkness” and savagery that was going on in that country and why they were justified to “Civilize” the Black race and keep them in their place.
This in my opinion was the wrong impression, but I could be wrong. To be fair Haiti like any country in Latin America had to learn through experience how to become Democratic not by dictates from foreing powers who did not have the best interest of the country in mind, but my opinion is worthless in this case.
The problem with Haiti is that their Leaders forgot, or were not aware of the huge burden the country had to carry. Freed by blood and God, they were to represent that a Black nation could survive and thrive without the overseeing eyes of the master white race. a tough task given the environment. They had to prove that they could learn on their own and contribute to society. They had to prove that the Black race was not inherantly inferior that they were not animals, bent on destroying each other. In this they won and at the same time they failed miserably.
The lack of foresight and discipline of their leaders was their own undooing. Haiti deteriorated infront of the eyes of the world culminating with the devastating eartquake of 2010.
Yes the civilized world that is the West, came pouring in mostly out of a sympathy but it was a tremendous victory for the West the white race and a humiliation to the highest degree for the Haition people and the black race.
Subjected to begging on the international stage as if the boat-people experience was not enough, the notorious Haitian pride which had been already wounded due to the series of events which had occured for the past 40 years hit Rock Bottom on that day.
Now people will say how could this happen was Haiti cursed ? Why did God allow this to happen, haiti was poor enough already ? However, you have to point to the weak selfish and extremely ambitious, sometimes insane, Haitian leadership and upper classes who are more interested in themselves and their cliques than in the country and the dream of our forefathers.
you have to blame the selfish lazy and politically amenic Haitian populace who forgot who they where and who they were supposed to be, more interested in jumping on a boat and heading to America to aquire material things “trinklets” to fill their empty souls.
You have to blame the amenic diaspora who were so glad to escape from that nightmare called haiti, that as their irresponsible leaders stuck thier heads into the sand and pretend things were fine. As their leaders in Haiti they also forgot who they are and who they were supposed to represent in the eyes of the world(due to their history), and like children became more interested in aquiring material things toys and ‘trinklets to appease their empty souls.
And once again our children have to say “I’m not NOT Haitian”, “I am Jamaican trinidadian American Portuguese” “definately NOT haitian” Whatever…
Gentlemen we have to change and we have to do it quickly. Already Canada is complaining about Haitis slow progress. For Christ sakes even the UN is complainig about the slow progress in Haiti. This slow progress was one of the main sticking points why the Dominican Republic opted for their indepence. Look we have got to change. it is not business as usual ! Our leaders have got to work and work hard like other countries to get us of out of this mess. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !
Haiti went down to 161st place from 187 countries on the UN Human Development Index. Ten years ago they were at position 146 above most African countries. Not anymore, more than a few African countries have overtaken Haiti including Sierra Leone ! Only the poorest of the poor African countries are below Haiti right now as far as development according to the UN. Haiti is now considered one of the poorest countries in the world not just the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The Wall Street Journal rates Haiti as the poorest in the world due to the percentage of people living below the poverty rate(80%).Niger in Africa, is at about 75% but they recently found oil, I’ll keep you posted…
In the 1950′s Haiti’s GDP(per capita) was equivalent to that of the Dominican Republic and higher than most Central American countries. Now the GDP per Capita for the DR is about $10,000 as compared to $1300 for Haiti. The next poorest country in the western hemisphere is Nicaragua with a GNP(per capita) of: $2,698. Next is Guyana with a GNP(Per capita) of $4,029 3 times that of Haiti. To be fair though the GNP is derived from the GDP(gross national product) divided by the actual population. In 2002 Haiti’s population was estimated to be about 8 million or less in 2010 it jumped to 10 million ??
In the year 2002 Haiti had a GNP per capita of $1800 now it’s well below that. Some people blame the earthquake an although that did take a huge toll, how do you explain that after the Duvalier’s fall in 1986 almost 30 years ago, the country did nothing but regress into silly, selfish, petty and disheartening conflicts, sometimes extremely violent conflicts while registering absolutely zero growth ?
Many people are now saying that the country was much better off under a dictatorship, but I don’t think so ? The good news is that the country is much freer now that democracy has taken a foothold despite the earth quake. Many thought that Haiti would fold and revert to barbarism but I got to admit, they showed a lot of discipline, perseverance
and resilience considering the situation. Let’s hope they keep it up but you know Haiti…
The thing they have to work on right now is to avoid like the plague all these silly personal and selfish conflicts that is hampering their recovery and growth. It’s a shame that a country with so much talent, culture and history is being wasted like this. Some blame Voodoo and to some extent that also might play a part, (according to the Bible), just my opinion.
But most of all, I think is the lack of leadership and the selfish attitude of the Elites and a great majority of the People themselves whose consciences may have been seared by all this constant strife, hardships, poverty and violence …