Media - Haiti Observer Blog

I did not know that a simple picture taken during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti could be worth $1.22mn. This is what Daniel Morel will get following a verdict against AFP and Getty Images for wilfully infringed his copyright in 2010.

Not bad

A jury of seven-member reach a unanimous verdict against AFP and Getty Images over the use of Daniel Morel's pictures that were taken during the 2010 Haiti quake.

AFP obtained a total of eight photographs from the Twitter account of Lisandro Suero. According to the report, Lisandro had posted the picture on his own account without given proper credit to Morel

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To the surprise of many, Guyler C. Delva announced that he is no longer an advisor to President Michel Martelly. This announce was made by Mr. Delva himself at the popular Radio show: Ranmasse this Saturday, November 9, 2013.

Does that mean we will no longer have the presence of Guyler C. Delva every cause for the Martelly government?

He stated that he took the decision to leave his position as adviser to the president to give more time to his new work which is to work to defend assassinated journalists under the "SOS Journalist Association.

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Haitian photographer, Daniel Morel, was awarded $1.22 million in statutory damages in a copyright infringement case in late November. The lawsuit brought by Morel and Corbis Photo concerned eight photographs taken by Morel of the aftermath of Haiti's 2010 earthquake.

The trouble began after Morel posted the photos on his TwitPic account. Another Twitter user re-posted the pictures on his own timeline, neglecting to either credit Morel, or layout the owner's restrictions for other conditions regarding their usage.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) and its U.S. affiliate, Getty Images, published the photos without asking Morel permission. Although AFP tried to make reparations after discovering their error, he was unavailable. Prior to trying to reach him, AFP emailed their subscription base, correctly crediting Morel as the real photographer. Getty Images also issued a mandatory kill to tell their clients the photos were not to be used for any purpose.

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I am getting sick and tired about the usual pictures that I see on TV, Newspaper, Youtube, and other medias whenever the Haiti subject comes up.

This is what I see for the most part: " We are doing a fundraising to buy shoes for Haitian children". "Donate so we can help the people of Haiti". "Fundraising to bring drinking water to Haiti". "Haiti the poorest nation in the western hemisphere".

Has this become a business?

Please don't take me wrong. There are real issues in Haiti. According to the latest study, some two-thirds of all Haitians are hungry. About 1.5 million Haitians face "severe" or "acute food insecurity.

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Will Leo Joseph and Haiti Observateur do it?

Leo Joseph who is the owner of the popular newspaper Haiti Observateur agreed to the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against them by Laurent Lamothe at a price.

In exchange for the dismissal and under the penalty of perjury, the newspaper agreed to publish a sworn declaration by Michael Charles. The declaration should clearly state that the allegations against Mr. Lamothe and Mr. Baker were completely fabricated

US District Court Judge John O'Sullivan entered an order approving a settlement between the parties on Monday, October 28, 2013.

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In the aftermath of Haiti's 2010 earthquake, Twitter played a significant role in rescue efforts on the ground. In one Twitter post read by a Homeland Security (HS) staffer, it gave the location of a victim buried beneath rubble, reportedly still alive. HS was not the only rescue agency to receive such calls. The American Red Cross was also inundated with posts on both Twitter and Facebook.

Earthquake survivors were twittering, texting, and phoning family and friends in the U.S., who passed on information to authorities. HS social media manager, Wendy Harman, said they were overwhelmed with the amount of information pouring in about conditions post the earthquake. Two days passed before HS had a handle on the situation in Haiti.

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According to Mr. Jean Renel Sanon, Haiti Justice Minister, the government managed to penetrate and prevent a plan to assassinate the well known radio host Jean Monard METELLUS from materialization.

This is what we have according to Mr. Jean Renel Sanon: There was a meeting held last Thursday to finalize the plan of attack in which two bikers were being paid the sum of ten thousand dollars to conduct the act. This is according to the Ministry of Justice. for the sum of ten thousand dollars($10,000).

To me, the first question is whether or not the amount was in Haitian or US currency. If anything, Jean Monard METELLUS should realize that his life is not worth more than $10,000 if any of us would want to believe that this plan was real and not something that was only real in the imagination of the Justice Minister Jean Renel Sanon and the rest of the Martelly government.

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Leo Joseph, the owner of the Haiti Observateur Group has agreed to the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against them by the Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and Patrice Baker, Lamothe's former business partner. The Haitian Prime Minister Lamothe and Baker sued the online paper in 2012 for publishing an article that alleged them for pressuring "Haitel", a bankrupt telecom company, to sell its assets below market price to an investment company named 'Nord Citadel' who was seeking investment opportunities in Haiti.

The main allegation against Lamothe and Baker was that they forced Nord Citadel to make a down payment as full purchase price to buy the assets of Haitel for $25 million though its market value was somewhere around $80 million. The online paper published the story, as per their earlier declaration, on the basis of an interview with Michael Charles, the founder and managing partner of Nord Citadel.

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Award-winning photojournalist, Thony Belizaire, passed away on July 21st, of complications from emphysema.

Thony Belizaire became a member of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) in 1987. He fearlessly documented political events in Haiti for 30 years, including the coups to oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and the monstrous rules of the Duvaliers. The tectonic event of 2010's earthquake was Belizaire's last big assignment.

Praise for Belizaire's work came from all quarters, including Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. Lamothe respectfully noted "Mr. Belizaire devoted . . . his life to covering . . . the life of the Haitian people." He added Belizaire left a deep impression on photographers and photojournalists in his native Haiti that will never fade.

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The Haitian Radio landscape of North Miami during an election period is a veritable game of thrones. With a whole third of the North Miami population being of Haitian descent, hopefuls for the city council and the position of mayor take to the ever important airwaves to sway the votes of this influential number.

The importance of Creole radio in North Miami is unquestionable. Even non-Creole speaking candidates and other interested parties keep themselves abreast of what is being broadcast because, quite often, the elections all but play out over the radio waves. The relationship to the Haitian residents of North Miami and their radio stations is not always a healthy one. They hang so trustingly upon the words of the broadcasters that the truth and lies are often accepted unquestioningly. Therefore, any candidate serious for election must keep on top of what is being said about them on radio. They must not only police what others are saying, but be a source of information by having a decisive presence on the most popular stations and talk-shows.

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