He NEVER fails, but he succeeded in this one in even finer style. Only a person who feels extremely deeply could produce such focused, meaningful work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I'm looking for a place to post this article I just discovered about a Haitian journalist who was murdered. I'll post the last lines, as they appear to hold the essence of the story quite well:
“Jean’s investigations touched a number of very powerful interest groups,” Montas points out. “For example, he focused on the scandal three years ago when 80 kids died from taking toxic medicine. Pharval (a company owned by the influential Boulos family) paid a number of journalists to keep their mouths shut, and it worked, except with us.” Dominique also investigated another incident involving the same family, in which homemade rum was produced with the aid of poisonous, liver-damaging ethanol.
Last year, a consortium of business groups, many owned by the same families that previously crossed swords with Dominique, canceled an advertising contract with Haïti Inter in protest against unfavorable coverage of their attempts to enter electoral politics. The station suffered a 20-percent drop in revenue and, as a result, had to abandon plans to extend FM broadcast coverage to more remote parts of the country.
The incident highlighted one of Haïti Inter’s most persistent dilemmas: Solely dependent on advertising for revenue, the station is locked into an uncomfortable interdependence with the conservative business families. On the one hand, the businesses need Haïti Inter because it reaches the biggest audience, but they oppose its progressive political stand and its refusal to censor itself. On the other hand, the radio station needs the advertising revenue from those businesses, but it is determined to remain a news vehicle at the service of the majority.
Montas speaks with pride of the contribution that her husband had made to the development of radio in Haiti. The station closed for a month after Dominique’s murder, and Montas reveals that many on the staff did not want to continue.
“Some wanted to give up the profession of journalist,” she says. “So we talked, and I told them that Jean was killed not because he was a journalist, but because he was Jean, and because of what he represented. His station represented something.”
On May 3, the World Press Freedom Day, Radio Haïti Inter went back on the air with Montas taking the microphone in place of her husband. On the outside wall of the station building today, a red-and-blue banner still flutters with the message, “Jean Dominique, you are gone but your ideas will go on.” (snip)
http://www.freemedia.at/IPIReport3.00/ipirep3.00_8.htm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~As we can see, this environment must look like HEAVEN to Republicans: complete control and domination of ALL media, with absolutely NO RESTRAINTS on the way they conduct business.
As we have noted, it appears they will, and DO do anything to expand their freedom to steal, cheat, rape, pillage, and murder, while still feeling damned superior to the people whose lives they consume.
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