How many of you expect honest, unbiased, and truthful journalism? I’m sure that all of you do.
However, have you ever given notice to how many Reporters are killed everyday for doing the same. Sadly, the ignorance doesn’t end here.
According to research from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) ,when a journalist is killed, only one in ten cases brings the perpetrator to justice. Yes, just one is 10 cases. The same committee has come up with another report and the findings are dystopian for the Caribbean region.
Murdering Free Speech
The ‘One Press Free Coalition’ released a list of the “10 Most Urgent” cases of injustice against journalists in October. The list included infamous reporters, from high-profile deaths like Jamal Khashoggi’s killing inside Istanbul’s Saudi consulate to Dalia Marko, a reporter for the local radio station Raja FM, who was among five journalists killed when unidentified gunmen ambushed an official convoy in South Sudan.
That list, though horrifying, has little or no reference to the Caribbean. But that doesn’t mean the area is pious.
The recent findings of press watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) show that more journalists were killed in Latin America and the Caribbean than in any other part of the world last year, including the Ukraine war zone. You heard that correct! A war zone had less killings than a comparatively stable region.
However, this is the catch. The Caribbean is hardly a stable region. The mighty superpowers of the world, namely the USA, France, Canada, have done their best to keep the area at unrest.
Haitian Horror
Let’s understand the case with the help of the most suffering nation of the Caribbean which is Haiti. Ever since the assassination of its president in July 2021, the island nation has descended into chaos, with journalists being targeted.
Read More: Haiti’s Gang vs. The Police Saga is eventually setting up the Stage for Western Invasion!
Godson Lubrun, president of the Haitian Online Media Association, stated that the number of journalists either killed or missing in 2022 while covering the nation’s grave sociopolitical issue is the highest it has been in two decades. Journalists who strived to report on the intensifying violence, the most extreme food shortage in recent years, and the resurgence of cholera have increasingly found themselves in danger.
Curbing Dissent
Though western media blames the gangs in the nation for the killings, it is no hidden fact that Port-au-Prince’s illegitimate government along with the country’s police forces is more responsible in curbing the voices. Haitian peace-building non-profit, Lakou Lapè’s director, Louis-Henri Mars disclosed that some members of the Haitian national police have accused journalists who criticise their handling of demonstrations of working for gangs.
Many police forces, due to their bias, have been accused of only doing the bare minimum to protect reporters. The police are even accused of assisting killing of some. The police have been using the tactic of attacking journalists. This is done under the leadership of Ariel Henry. The only reason for this is to stifle criticism and prevent any form of dissent. They are attempting to prevent protests and disperse any large groups of people by denying the coverage. This has become depressingly commonplace.
This is a bleak future for the Caribbean and the region is in desperate need of a solution. The Caribbean looks like it is doomed to remain a dystopian place. A place where dreams of peace and freedom are little more than a distant hope.
Now, you tell me why would any reporter risk their life to bring you the truth? Do you have answers? Because I don’t.
