No Shortage Of Reporters In Haiti

 

By R.Gregg, The Raleigh Telegram

Thursday, February 4, 2010

 

PORT AU PRINCE - Usually, when an important news event happens, reporters and media are among the first people on the ground.  As the saying goes, “it’s hard to report from your desk” so reporters have to travel where the news is happening.

 

The earthquake and subsequent international humanitarian aid missions in Haiti were no exception.  Networks such as CNN and NBC set up shop in Port au Prince, the capital city and one of the hardest hit areas in the country.

 

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, host of AC360, held live broadcasts from the downtown area next to the main hospital.  Cooper (see photo at right submitted by a soldier) reported on recovery efforts and also interviewed survivors of the earthquake.

 

Heraldo Rivera from Fox News was also in Haiti to cover the disaster firsthand and one Army soldier captured a photo (see at right) of Heraldo getting dressed in the morning at the airport after waking up from his slumber on an Army cot next to the runway.

 

Although Rivera did not score any points with the military back during the Iraq War when he was kicked out of an Army unit after he revealed their location on a live broadcast, one soldier who was actually there with Heraldo in Iraq said he had a good deal of respect for the newsman.  The soldier said that Rivera withstood the rigors of being in the field with the soldiers.

 

“He just brushed off his mustache in the morning and he was ready to go,” he said.

 

Many community newspapers and TV stations in the United States also went to Haiti to cover the local angle for the viewers back home.  

 

In addition to WRAL and WTVD, the News & Observer and Fayetteville News from North Carolina sent reporters to Haiti to cover the North Carolina-based military units that had responded to the disaster.

 

While on the ground in Haiti, we met UNC journalism graduate Pamela Brown, who was from ABC TV station WJLA near Washington DC to report on a group of firefighters who were in Port au Prince performing search and rescue operations.

 

The news from Haiti was also being broadcast internationally.  Two reporters from the Spanish network CIN-TV came to Haiti just after the earthquake struck and were there for quite a long time.

 

In addition, as Haiti is a former French colony, there is a lot of interest in France as well.  

 

During a helicopter ride on a Navy SeaHawk, we met French reporter Jean Paul Mari of Paris from “Le Nouvel Observateur,” the largest news magazine in France with a circulation of over 538,000 copies.  

 

Although our first helicopter mission was scrubbed, we enjoyed a brief conversation on paper (it’s pretty loud inside a running helicopter) and we were able to catch another ride with a chopper later on.

 

Many of the soldiers asked if our newspaper would be sending a reporter back to Haiti and perhaps at some point later this year, we’ll send another reporter to the 82nd Airborne units to see how things have progressed in terms of their humanitarian and rebuilding efforts.

 

:: END

No Shortage Of Reporters In Haiti:

Kevin Dietsch of the Washington DC office of UPI International rides along with some 82nd Airborne soldiers as we get ready to drop off food during a night mission in Port au Prince.   Dietsch had been in the country since shortly after the earthquake struck.  Photo: Telegram.

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Anderson Cooper Broadcasts From Port Au Prince:

CNN’s Anderson Cooper can be seen in this photo taken by a soldier.  For some reason, Cooper and the rest of the CNN broadcast team in Haiti wore black tee shirts on the air.  In addition to broadcasts from Haiti, Cooper has reported extensively on Africa.  Photo: CPT Billy Ives, Jr.

Heraldo Rivera In Haiti:

In this photo that was emailed to the Raleigh Telegram from a soldier who took the photo with his mobile phone and who wishes to remain anonymous,  Heraldo Rivera of Fox News (middle in underwear) can be seen waking up at the camp next to the runway in Port au Prince.

Spanish Reporters On Scene In Port Au Prince:

Two TV reporters from Spain’s  CIN-TV had been in the country since just after the earthquake hit.  In the photo below, they interview an Army public affairs officer who speaks Spanish for their broadcast outside of the main headquarters at the airport. Photos: Telegram.

UNC Journalism Graduate In Haiti:

UNC journalism graduate Pamela Brown talks with Captain Brautigam of the Airborne.  Brown was from ABC TV station WJLA near Washington DC to report on a group of firefighters who were in Port au Prince performing search and rescue operations.  Photo: The Telegram.

French Reporter From Le Nouvel Observateur:

During a helicopter ride on a Navy SeaHawk, we met French reporter Jean Paul Mari of Paris from “Le Nouvel Observateur,” the largest news magazine in France with a circulation of 538,000.  Mari jokes around with a helicopter staff member (below).  Photos: Telegram.