6150: Re: 6129: Haiti News and Rumors! report from site...Dorce rambles ala Morse! (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: LAKAT47@aol.com

In a message dated 12/05/2000 3:09:42 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
VYeghoyan@aol.com writes:
<< It is, of course, part and parcel of Haiti's bad press that the large 
 majority [are there any exceptions? I'm leaving room for benefit of the 
 doubt...] of American media reports are written in such a way as to validate 
 the perception of Haiti as "the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere." 
 So it was no surprise that the articles about the 11 American missionaries 
 injured in Haiti focused on the US COast Guard being the heroes of the 
story, 
 flying the victims out of [dangerous, dreadful] Haiti to good old US 
 Hospitals. >>
...<snip>
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Here is a beautiful post full of positive news about Haiti and Haitians and 
Americans working together.  Thank you so much, VYeghoyan.  A recent poster 
laments the lack of positive posts and asks us to stop being negative and 
sniping at one another.  There are numbers of uplifting stories to be told of 
people doing good things and helping each other but in today's Haiti there is 
hardly a story of good that doesn't have a dark side.  This is because Haiti 
is under siege.  So a tale of selflessness and aid and comfort to those in 
need is tempered by the distortion of the story to enhance the role of the US 
government.  And maybe to provide fodder to the propaganda machine....."...is 
Lavalas behind the deaths of countless missionaries in Leogane???"  It takes 
a person who was on the scene to set us straight.  How many stories do we 
read where we have no witness to tell us the truth?

I said before that these are desperate times and it is a classic David and 
Goliath battle we are seeing or living through, depending on your assigned 
seat.  Those who only see the good are doomed to be blind sided with the bad 
that is waiting to pounce.  Those who only see the bad are just as 
delusional.  There will be better days for Haiti, I have faith, but these are 
not they.   

I used to comb through the paper daily to search out stories of Haiti and 
often found lovely travel stories that I would cut out, (I have a kind of 
pathetic scrap book of such stories with Haiti Cherie on the front) including 
some very good recipes from Cuisine magazine.   One such article comes 
complete with pictures of Corbeteer SSeitz and family!   Needless to say 
those stories have dried up completely.   American Airlines sometimes has 
deals to the Caribbean islands including Haiti but never mentions that name 
in their ads.   There is now no good news regarding Haiti, only what I can 
describe as prelude to a coup.  I spend a lot of time trying to re-educate 
people who mention "the despot Aristide" to me, taking what they have read to 
be the truth....but the irony is, if it is printed, it seems more veracious 
than my rebuttal in person.  That is what journalists may or may not 
understand.  They have a power that, without dedication to objective facts, 
is easily abused.  They have a responsibility to the truth not to the 
almighty Pulitzer.  Let's see some balance.  Not all good, not all bad, but 
balance.  

Kathy Dorce~  (sorry V....this WAS supposed to be a thank you to you!)