CPJ announces Haiti's only creole newspaper remains lost "under the rubble"

Posted by Robert Eisenhart on March 17, 2010 at 5:18 PM

The Committee to Protect Journalists recently announced that the January earthquake in Haiti resulted in the "disappearance under the rubble" the nation's sole Creole paper, Bon Nouvel.

The loss of the monthly newspaper to the earthquake, which decimated the small island nation, is seen as a "real blow" according to the newspaper's director, Rev. Jean Pierre Nzemba.

The small paper was one of the island's few news sources available to many of the farmers unable to read or write French. In a nation plagued by political and social turmoil, Bon Nouvel was the only access traditionally uninformed citizens had to information concerning the nation's politics and news in general. Prominent political and cultural figures, like former President Aristide and Poet Bertaville, frequently contributed to the publication.

Information is not currently available on whether the paper will re-establish itself, but the possibility looks grim. Even though free press is an essential cornerstone of democracy, it seems likely that taking care of the humanitarian crisis created by the earthquake will take precedent.

Some will recall that Chile also recently sustained a devastating earthquake that affected the nation's access and ability to produce news. Despite the parallels between the two nations, Haiti's weak democracy and marginalized society stands to lose more if efforts aren't made to replace Bon Nouvel as a source of information.

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists