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<div><small><a
href="http://sfbayview.com/2012/outsiders-expect-burning-tires-in-haiti-not-accurate-reporting/Outsiders">http://sfbayview.com/2012/outsiders-expect-burning-tires-in-haiti-not-accurate-reporting/Outsiders</a>
</small></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>EXPECT BURNING TIRES IN HAITI...NOT ACCURATE REPORTING by
Kevin Pina</strong>, published in the <a
href="http://sfbayview.com/2012/outsiders-expect-burning-tires-in-haiti-not-accurate-reporting/">SF
BAYVIEW</a> September 28, 2012 </div>
<div><br>
Friday, Sept. 21, saw yet another in a series of large
demonstrations across Haiti. The largest protests were registered in
Cap Haitien and La Cayes, Haiti’s second and third largest cities,
against what many protestors called “the corruption of the Martelly
regime.”Chanting “Down with Martelly and the pink hunger,” referring to
President Martelly’s campaign color, Haitians protesting his corrupt
regime filled the streets of Cap Haitien, Haiti’s second largest city.
Newly assigned U.S. Ambassador Pamela White dismissed the
demonstrations of real, legitimate anger at Haiti’s huge and growing
economic disparity as “SO unfortunate. Burning tires will not change a
thing. They will turn off international business interests.” </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thousands took to the streets chanting slogans such as “Down with
Martelly and the pink hunger,” a clear reference to the color
associated with the president’s election campaign and his supporters.
While Haitian news outlets such as <a
href="http://www.radiotelevisioncaraibes.com/nouvelles/haiti/cap_haitien_des_milliers_de_manifestants_dans_les_rues.html">Radio
Caraibe</a>, <a
href="http://radiovision2000haiti.net/public/haitipolitique-vives-tensions-jeudi-soir-au-cap-haitien-1-policier-et-plusieurs-membres-de-la-population-blesses/">Radio
Vision 2000</a> and <a
href="http://www.lematinhaiti.com/contenu.php?idtexte=32668&idtypetexte=">Le
Matin</a> reported on the demonstrations, the only foreign news
agencies to write about them appear to be <a
href="http://www.rfi.fr/ameriques/20120922-haiti-manifestations-contre-gouvernement-martelly-jacmel">RFI</a>
and <a href="http://www.alterpresse.org/spip.php?article13437">AlterPress</a>.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>On the same day, the new U.S. ambassador to Haiti, Pamela A.
White, inaugurated her new personal Twitter account @AmbPWhite. As news
of the protests against Martelly began to spread throughout Haiti,
Ambassador White tweeted her disapproval: “These demonstrations are SO
unfortunate. Burning tires will not change a thing. They will turn off
international business interests.”<br>
<br>
</div>
<div>This was immediately followed by the U.S. ambassador’s
admonishment: “Outsiders EXPECT burning tires in Haiti. Let’s not give
them what they have learned to expect but a better way forward – like
talking.” Now exactly who White was referring to as “outsiders,” given
that she was only sworn into her post on July 18, remained unclear.</div>
<div><br>
That she seems to either be unaware or disingenuous about the
increasing evidence of growing corruption in the current Haitian
government and the commiserate misery and hunger facing Haitians was
crystal clear.</div>
<div><br>
What she failed to acknowledge is that the thousands of
Haitians protesting in the streets against corruption and hunger in
Haiti were “talking” in the only way they felt possible, even as she
was dismissing them as merely “burning tires.” They have been “talking”
for several months now and no one in power seems to be listening to
them, especially Martelly and, apparently, the U.S. Embassy.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>More interesting was that not a single U.S. news outlet filed a
story in English on the demonstrations. Most conspicuously absent in
their coverage was The Miami Herald, whose Caribbean correspondent,
Jacqueline Charles, was busy tweeting about Haitian news of the
protests throughout the morning despite claiming to be on vacation.<br>
<br>
</div>
<div>Ironically, Charles had been among the first the same day to
endorse Ambassador White’s new Twitter account with the now famous
hash-tag #FF or Follow Friday. Ambassador White responded by heaping
praise upon her for an article she recently wrote about a <a
href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/20/3012827/lizard-rare-coral-reefs-complicate.html">multimillion-dollar
Haiti seaport project</a>. The U.S. ambassador genuflected to <a
href="mailto:%E2%80%9C@jacquiecharles">“@jacquiecharles</a> wonderful
piece in the Miami Herald; thank you for comprehensive reporting.”<br>
<br>
</div>
<div>Unfortunately, Charles’ “comprehensive reporting” did not include
a single word written for The Miami Herald about the protests against
Martelly rocking Haiti. Not a word published despite her clear
knowledge of events, including tweeting a picture of Martelly and the
Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, UNESCO special envoy for Haiti “at a
new University outside O’ Cap, where tires r burning.”</div>
<div> </div>
<div>To say that The Miami Herald was conspicuously absent in covering
what has to be the largest protests against corruption in Haiti in
recent memory is an understatement. This is especially true in light of
The Miami Herald’s zealous and extensive coverage of past political
scandal and corruption allegedly involving former President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide.<br>
<br>
</div>
<div>Writing about government kickbacks in a telecommunications scandal
in Haiti dating back to the early 2000s, <a
href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/10/2890083/ex-haiti-official-sentenced-to.html">The
Miami Herald printed on July 10</a>:
“Aristide is not identified by name in the indictment. But defense
attorneys say ‘Official B’ referenced in the corruption indictment is
indeed the ex-president.” <a
href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/11/usa-haiti-corruption-idINL2E8IB9JI20120711">Reuters
would later write</a>
of The Miami Herald’s assertion, “A lawyer for Aristide vehemently
denied the allegation, which could not be independently confirmed.”</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Without a shred of evidence, The Miami Herald would then go so far
as to try to connect Aristide to the assassination of the father of one
of the defendants in the case, “He was assassinated just days after The
Miami Herald reported in March that the son was cooperating with the
Justice Department in a related kickback probe into deposed President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide.” Yes, The Miami Herald is well-known for its
own brand of “comprehensive reporting” about corruption in Haiti.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>With all the great interest and attention The Miami Herald paid to
past corruption cases in Haiti, would it be too much to expect they
might ink something, anything, about recent large anti-corruption
protests in the country? Apparently not, when the U.S. ambassador is
obsessed with burning tires harming Haiti’s image with foreign
investors or when demonstrators are targeting Martelly and his cronies.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><em>Kevin Pina, founding editor of the Haiti Information Project
(HIP), winner of the Project Censored 2008 Real News Award for
Outstanding Investigative Journalism and senior producer for
Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio, can be reached at </em><a
href="mailto:hip@teledyol.net"><em>hip@teledyol.net</em></a><em>.</em></div>
<div> </div>
<div><a
href="http://haitiinformationproject.blogspot.com/2012/09/outsiders-expect-burning-tires-in.html">http://haitiinformationproject.blogspot.com/2012/09/outsiders-expect-burning-tires-in.html</a></div>
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