Haiti: The Duvaliers and Their Legacy

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Essay Body
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The media plays an important role in society by ensuring that the public is made aware of various issues in a nation. There are many types of media that have existed throughout history. They include newspapers, televisions, and radios. In most cases, the media helps in uncovering issues or matters going on in a government that are not in line with the law. This creates public awareness and necessary steps taken. This paper is dealing with an account of a political situation whereby the media colluded with a dictatorship government in Haiti. This government was run by Francois Duvalier from the year 1957 to the year 1971. This paper seeks to understand the impact of the media on the public having a close look at Haiti and Francois Duvalier’s government. This paper also shows a clear evaluation of the code of ethics Vis a Vis the media and the consequences should it be violated.

Essay Body

Francois Duvalier was the president of Haiti from the year 1957. Surprisingly in the year, 1964 Duvalier declared himself ‘president for life.’ He ruled Haiti until his death. Just like many Haitian leaders, Francois Duvalier came up with a constitution that would solidify his power. His leadership was recognized for relying on private armies, corruption, and autocracy to maintain power. This was very evident in the year 1958 when he sacked the armed forces, chief officer. He, later on, replaced the officer with someone who could not reveal his endeavors.

Later on, he also replaced Marine trained officers with younger men. These young men owed Duvalier their loyalty and positions. Duvalier actually replaced the whole military with his security force. In the creation of his own elite, he employed intimidation and corruption. The corruption during his tenure was high tech. This was in the form of government rake-off in industries. There was high extortion of the domestic businesses that were in Haiti at that time. Bribery was just too much during Duvalier’s tenure. The closest supporters of Francois Duvalier really benefited from stolen government funds. Most of Duvalier’s supporters were given the power to intimidate any member of the old elite.

Duvaliers actually ruled Haiti for approximately thirty years. The culture during this time was marked with violence. There was Tontons Macoutes which was Duvalier’s private militia. This regime was full of terror in Haiti. This group could arrest, torture, and detain any person that was against the regime. In a venture to achieve and preserve power, the regime used violence.

This regime had systematic abuses of human rights. There were many executions, mob justice, and arbitrary arrests in this nation. Francois Duvalier’s government greatly colluded with the media such that the media could not cover any of these proceedings. The media, in this case, colluded in covering up many of the proceedings that transpired in this nation. There were many rape cases that were very evident in Haiti. Murders were a common occurrence. There were destructions through fires that were perpetrated by Francois Duvalier’s followers. The violations of human rights in Haiti during this period were an instrument of power for the Francois Duvaliers government.

The major violators of human rights in this government were armed groups that were greatly supported by the government at that time. These were years of abusive use of position in Haiti. During this period, this government colluded with the media a great deal. Research shows that when Francois Duvalier came into power, he sacked some of the qualified presenters that had been employed by the government. There was the employment of new presenters both in radio and in television stations. This is how Francois Duvalier operated in this nation. Many managers in the journalism field had to adhere to rules and regulations that were stipulated by Francois Duvalier. The media had to co-work with the evil undertakings of this foreign government.

According to research, media field researchers could not cover any story that included corruption practiced by this government during this period. Surprisingly even the killings were never aired in the radio and Television stations. In case any of the stories were aired then the presenters had to doctor the incidence such that the issue was never attributed or actually linked to the occurrences.

The Francois Duvalier government would actually pay journalists lump sums of money so that the practices in this nation were not put in the papers or aired through radios and televisions. There is reported to be an incidence whereby the president of Haiti actually paid a journalist three million shillings so that a story on corruption was not covered or rather published in the newspapers. The journalist actually pocketed the cash, and the story was never published at all. This is just but the tip of the iceberg in relation to the extent to which the media actually colluded with the government. Any issue on violation of human rights by this government was never aired by journalists. Corruption practices were so evident, and yet any story on corruption practiced by the Duvalier government was covered up, never to be spoken about.

A good example is seen when the general elections in Haiti were being carried out. This was very evident in Haitian national television. Every evening this television station had special presentations. There were many live broadcasts of police authorities, Mihustah, Interim Electoral Council, and also Prime Minister Latortue’s press conference. This was done to favor the government. This is a quote from acting coach of Radio Metropole.

‘Mr. Martin’s presence in our newsroom and in the field has enabled our reporters to improve their reporting, interviewing, and on-air presentation techniques. We had productive discussions on such issues as newsroom management, the importance of editorial meetings, and the coverage of current events during an election period. As a result, this has definitely raised the standard of our information programs.’

This quote clearly shows the extent to which the media colluded with the government.

This media collusion with the Haitian government had various impacts on the public.

One of the major impacts was an increase in corruption in the public sector. Just because most of the people that were engaged in corruption were backed by Francois Duvalier, the media failed to air it to the public. The effect to the public, in this case, was that they continued to suffer under corruption practices. This is because the media is normally a voice of the public.

The public continued to suffer under the hands of corrupt officials by paying bribes. The public continues to suffer more by paying increased tax, and yet the money is not used for development ventures. The media, in this case, played a big role in creating fear in the citizens of Haiti. This is because when the media is not speaking against bad leadership, then the public cannot also be open to speaking anything negative concerning this. This is because the public assumes that the media will link to the government, and hence they suffer the consequences.

When the media actually shuts its mouth to corruption and any vices against human rights, it actually encourages injustice in the entire public. This means that the public will be subject to injustice practices in a nation. There is actually no fair trial of suspects, and this is what happened in the case of Haiti. The impact of the media is the promotion of unfair trials in society in general.

When the media does not speak against any bad practices in a nation, the public suffers a lot. This is because it fails to be informed on occurrences in the nation. Of course, when the public lacks information concerning various undertakings in the nation, it will never question. This is because in case it is something that the public is witnessing, it does not know who is accountable, and so nobody is questioned. The media normally plays an important role in informing the public, for instance, of corruption practices. When the public is not well informed, it ends up supporting people who are involved in the corruption. This was very evident in Haiti. The very fact that the media colluded with the government meant that the people in Haiti could not know of corruption practices initiated by Francois Duvalier. A number of Haitian citizens were still in favor of this leadership just because they were not informed that the problems that were being faced in this nation were backed by the leadership.

The public in this case could refer to citizens of Haiti or even non citizens. Because the media colluded with the government, foreign investors shied away from the nation. Tourism also declined because tourists knew that the media would not support them to fight for their rights in such a situation. Foreign investors lacked information concerning the real cause of problems that faced the nation and therefore simply withdrew.

The human rights investigated the government of Haiti. The press did not give them the true facts on the ground but were instrumental in baffling them. [6]

Conclusion

Francois Duvalier was the resident of Haiti from the year 1957 to 1971. His leadership was full of corruption and dictatorship. The media in this nation colluded with the government such that it never covered any of the corruption practiced by this government. Impact of the media in this case was that public lacked information concerning these practices. Code of ethics has to be adhered to by media and in case of violation the media house can be sued.

References

Abbott, E. (1988): Haiti: the Duvaliers and their Legacy, McGraw-Hill Books, New York; pp. 118-136
Amnesty International, ‘Haiti: Disarmament Delayed, Justice Denied’, 2005
Berger, A. Media and Society; pp. 57-92
Berger, A. (1972): Media and Society; London; Penguin Books
Heinl, G. (1847): Written in the blood; The Story of the Haitian People; New York; University Press of America

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Haiti: The Duvaliers and Their Legacy

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