Haiti
Haiti, a small country situated in the Carribean Sea, has dropped from 70 in 2022 to 99 out of 180 countries in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), which is its lowest ranking since 2005.
The World Press Freedom Index is created by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The purpose is to compare the level of freedom journalists have in 180 different countries. They calculate scores for each country from 0 to 100, using two main components: a quantitative tally of abuses against media and journalists in connection with their work, and a qualitative analysis of the situation in each country based on the responses press freedom specialists gave to an RSF questionnaire.
The drop in ranking could be attributed to Haiti’s rise in violence towards journalists in recent years. According to UNESCO, in 2022 there were at least nine journalists killed in the country, which is their highest total in recent years and as of May, in 2023 there have been at least two.
According to RSF, Haiti is a very poor country, which also struggles with political instability, creating a very dangerous environment for journalists. They are constantly susceptible to gang violence, especially when journalists’ opinions or work do not match gangs’ agendas.
The country is a semi-presidential republic, where the president is the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. In 2021, Haiti’s president Jovenel Moise was assassinated, which left the nation with Ariel Henry acting as both president and prime minister simultaneously.
According to the BBC, over a dozen people were arrested in connection with the case, most of them Colombian. A doctor named Emmanuel Sanon plotted to become Haitian president and although it did not happen, it created even more tension and insecurity in the country, which possibly stimulated the rise in violence across the nation.
Journalists have become more vulnerable to violence following the assassination. Many were forced to flee their homes from fear of being killed or kidnapped.
In September 2023, Radio broadcaster Arnold Junior Pierre told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), “I’m afraid for my life.” He had to flee from his home after it was broken into by gang members.
Gangs have so much power and influence in Haiti that it causes journalists to deliberate whether they should report or stay quiet for their own safety as the government is unable to protect them.
Also in September, Onz Chery, a journalist in Haiti, said to VOA, “If you don’t tell the story, it’s going to keep getting worse. If you’re not telling the stories, who’s going to help?” Even though there is fear for his life, it is a risk he is willing to take.
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David Mitov is a student at the American University in Bulgaria, double-majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication and Business Administration. He is trying to spread awareness about the violence journalists face.
