Do not politicize disaster

In the first days following the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, American media failed the public by misreporting or omitting entirely Cuba’s involvement in the relief efforts. Only two mainstream media outlets reported on Cuba’s response. One was Fox News, which claimed (incorrectly) that among the neighboring Caribbean countries providing aid, Cuba was absent. The other was the Christian Science Monitor, which reported (correctly) that Cuba had almost immediately flown in 30 doctors to the stricken nation. All failed to mention that Cuban doctors were already in Haiti in large numbers (350+) and, having already established medical infrastructure before the quake, were some of the most effective responders to the crisis. The discussion got to the point of almost deliberate misdirection: the famous Babalu blog’s Val Prieto scoffed at the suggestion that any Cuban doctors were actually in Haiti at all.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking in a press conference before departing for Haiti last week, did not mention the role of Cuban doctors as the crisis unfolded. She thanked Havana for allowing U.S. planes to use Cuban airspace, and said that Washington would welcome any more help Cuba cared to give. That was all.

Finally, on Friday, the U.S. government’s Voice of America (VOA)—the official radio and television broadcasting company of this country—turned around this poor streak (which by last week had admittedly improved, but there had yet to be a U.S. government admission of the omission). In an editorial entitled, “Cuba Aids Haiti Relief,” VOA finally gave much-deserved credit to the country and its doctors:

The massive international relief effort in Haiti has received a boost from Cuba, which has more than 400 health workers, many of them doctors, working throughout the devastated country. The government in Havana has also aided United States relief efforts by opening restricted Cuban airspace to American planes flying medical evacuation missions.

Surprise: the United States sees Cuba in Haiti.

Yesterday, NPR ran a story about the response of Cuban doctors in Haiti, called “Cuban Doctors Unsung Heroes of Haitian Earthquake” (it is excellent). Listen here.

(Photo from Prensa Latina)