Practicing journalism continues to be difficult and risky, exposing professionals to precarious and highly vulnerable conditions.
The climate of insecurity plagues Haitian society and has conditioned the exercise of the profession, keeping the media away from in-depth and proper investigations due to the phenomenon of self-censorship.
During this period, five journalists were murdered, four others were kidnapped, and one was injured. These numbers and the expressions and denunciations of press unions and social and international organizations revalidated the country's condition as the most dangerous to practice journalism.
Public insecurity has been directed against journalists, such as Roberson Alphonse, who on October 25 was shot and wounded while on his way to his radio program at Magik 9 radio station in Port-au-Prince. Alphonse also works for the newspaper Le Nouvelliste.
On October 30, the murder of journalist Romelo Vilsaint was reported in front of the Delmas 33 barracks. He had gone with other colleagues to mediate for another journalist, Robest Dimanche, of Radio Télé Zénith, who had previously been imprisoned and beaten.
On November 5, journalist Fritz Dorilas was murdered. He co-hosted a Saturday program on Radio Megastar in Tabarre, northeast of Port-au-Prince.
On December 18, journalist Francklin Tamar was murdered in Port-au-Prince. He directed the programs "Kompa, Kompa" and "Sábado Cultural" on Radio Solidarité.
On April 16, Dumesky Kersaint of Radio Télé Inurep was murdered in Carrefour, south of Port-au-Prince.
On April 25, Ricot Jean, a journalist with Radio-Télé Évolution Inter in Saint-Marc, 73 km north of Port-au-Prince, was murdered.
On February 9, 2023, journalist Jean Thony Lorthé, who works for Radio Vision 2000, was kidnapped in Port-au-Prince.
The Haitian Association of Journalists demanded his release, stating that Lorthé's family could not pay a ransom. He was released on Friday, February 17. His captors demanded 200,000 dollars for his release.
On February 10, Unesco published the report "Study on the development of the media in Haiti" on the difficulties in practicing the profession. It notes that attacks against the press are frequent, and their perpetrators are rarely brought to justice. Moreover, "Press workers are poorly paid, even working voluntarily, which pushes many into other activities incompatible with journalism."
The report also denounces that reporters covering political rallies are often verbally or physically attacked by demonstrators who associate them with the opposing side.
On April 11, journalist Robert Dénis, general manager of the private television station Canal Bleu, was kidnapped. He was released on April 20 after payment of a ransom.
Among the journalists kidnapped are Sandra Duvivier, a cultural reporter for TV channel 5; Jean Thony Lorthé of the "Rafrechi Memwa," and Lebrun Saint-Hubert, president, and CEO of Community Radio 2000.
