Clarens Renois of the Haiti Press Network. Photo: Anne Poulsen/IMS

As all other sectors in Haiti, the media sector suffered massive losses in the 12 January earthquake. Interview with Clarens Renois, Editor -in-Chief of the Haitian online news agency Haiti Press Network  

By Anne Poulsen, IMS

A large majority of the media houses in the areas affected by the earthquake were destroyed or heavily damaged with massive equipment losses.

The need to rebuild key media infrastructure was identified from the very onset of the disaster and massive support to the sector was mobilised by the international community.

- Yet, reconstructing collapsed or damaged buildings is not enough, says Clarens Renois, editor-in-chief and managing director of the Haitian online news agency Haiti Press Network.

- Proper housing and good equipment alone does not solve the problems. The Haitian media sector is challenged by poor professionalism, so the rebuilding of a basic journalist education is of equal importance,” argued Clarens Renois during a recent visit to Denmark, where he met with representatives from the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Århus. His visit was supported by International Media Support (IMS).

Lack of journalist training

Through the Haiti Press Network, Clarens Renois – who also works as a correspondent for the international news agency Agence France Presse in Haiti – has invested vast amounts of both time and resources to introduce and train young newcomers to the trade.

- There is no formal basic journalist education in Haiti. In the faculty of science at the University of Haiti, the only related course was a course in social communication. There is a range of small private institutions or businesses that offer journalist courses, but these are far from serious and not recommendable at all. The only real journalist training is the on-the-job training.

- Journalism in Haiti is very reactive. Journalists write the exact stories that are presented to them at a press conference or in a press release. There is no investigative reporting. No real coverage of the real issues such as health, environment, good governance etc.  We need desperately the professional journalists who can raise the right and important matters, especially at this time in history. The media is essential for moving Haiti forward in the right direction – with the active involvement of the Haitians themselves, explains Clarens Renois.

In Denmark, Clarens Renois also met with key online media representatives from among others Danmarks Radio and Politiken to discuss business strategies and explore possible areas for cooperation.

Following the earthquake in January 2010 IMS has been supporting media in their recovery and helping them to work again. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is supporting IMS' work in Haiti. Read more about IMS' work in Haiti here.

Background:

On 12 January 2010, a devastating earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit Haiti. At least 230,000 people were killed and around 1.5 million people left homeless and displaced by the disaster. The earthquake was classified as the most destructive disaster to ever have been experienced by a country in terms of the number of people killed as a share of the country’s population and the level of destruction to key state institutions and infrastructure.

Days after the earthquake, an IMS rapid response team was deployed to Haiti to assess the needs for assistance in close consultation with Haitian journalists, media owners and journalists’ associations  as well as other international media support organisations and to initiate activities in a rapid response to the most imminent needs. Since, thanks to important funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Media Support has been able to engage in a more long term strategy for Haiti.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and is ranked 149 out of 182 countries by the 2009 Human Development Index.  Seventy-six percent of Haitians live on less than US $2 per day and 56 percent on less than US$1 per day.