18406: White: Re: 18195: Walton: RE: 18182: White: Students: the latest victims of AP/Reuters distortions (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Randall White <raw@haitiaction.org>

Mr. Walton,

It might have been an oversight on my part-accusing Reuters of
intentionally misrepresenting the facts rather than the U.S. State
Department-but it wasn't.

What was overlooked was that I didn't include the State Department in
my criticism. My apologies and thanks for the suggestion. Did you say
"analyst" or "advisor?"

I hope I haven't exceeded the bandwidth on this discussion with this
but let me try to condense my intention-of message 18182-here...

What I'm trying to make clear-is that-by any Jan 30 deadline these
facts were established and widely known to any literate and aware
individual in Port-au-Prince that were intentionally misconstrued by
the corporate media:

1. The victim's name was Renel Victor (AHP reporting name: Lionel Victor, now).
2. Renel Victor was a Fanmi Lavalas activist
3. His wife, Islande Gelin, made it plain, at the hospital, his true
identity and affiliation.
4. That Renel Victor was NOT a student.
5. That Andre Apaid had shown up at the hospital with a group of paid
partisans to steal the body.
6. That a real University professor LIED in stating that he knew
Renel Victor to be a student.
7. That France owes Haiti more than $21,685,135,571.48

So if you're actually-as opposed to trying to create the impression
that you're-responsible, accurate and "balanced" correspondent in
Haiti, you wouldn't be writing for the Jan 30 deadline that the
victim was a "student."

If that correspondent is using what *they know* to be
misrepresentations by the State Department, that still doesn't let
them off the hook. If they're getting all of their info from the
State Department without trying to corroborate the facts, I don't see
why they need to be in Port-au-Prince to be a Haiti stringer.

If anyone was "honestly" mistaken with the account that went out-on
the wires and was then, ripped and read-as Holmsteed pointed out, its
origin was the one from Radio Vision 2000 the morning after the
death. So, in all fairness, let's just say that the corporate media
press in PaP is similar to that one that is mythologized by Herb Gold
and Amy Wilentz-a thirsty, status conscious gaggle that hangs out at
The Oloffson more than anywhere else-so soused that they can't
legally drive around getting the facts. Well, if you get a tip from
Radio Vision 2000 or Radio Metropole and don't carefully check it as
being highly suspect, it would be like drinking and driving. You
should be arrested and fired.

That the U.S. State Department released this info from Washington and
Reuters ran with it from there instead of relying on their stringer
in PaP is unlikely. I'm forwarding the AHP news for Jan 30 as an
example of many other elements not mentioned above that a "balanced"
position might have included-since they were newsworthy.

As I said, the strategy, of those trying to destabilize Haiti, is to
create the impression that President Aristide's administration is
brutally oppressing anti-government demonstrations by largely
peaceful, but agitated university students. That you want to try and
isolate it to that one story by Reuters misses the point.

The U.S. State department IS primarily responsible for this
intentional misinformation.

RAW